What is "myrtle warbler"

Myrtle \Myr"tle\ (m[~e]r"t'l), n. [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a little myrtle, from myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr. my`rtos; cf. Per. m[=u]rd.] (Bot.) A species of the genus Myrtus, especially Myrtus communis. The common myrtle has a shrubby, upright stem, eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a close, full head, thickly covered with ovate or lanceolate evergreen leaves. It has solitary axillary white or rosy flowers, followed by black several-seeded berries. The ancients considered it sacred to Venus. The flowers, leaves, and berries are used variously in perfumery and as a condiment, and the beautifully mottled wood is used in turning.

Note: The name is also popularly but wrongly applied in America to two creeping plants, the blue-flowered periwinkle and the yellow-flowered moneywort. In the West Indies several myrtaceous shrubs are called myrtle.

Bog myrtle, the sweet gale.

Crape myrtle. See under Crape.

Myrtle warbler (Zo["o]l.), a North American wood warbler ( Dendroica coronata); -- called also myrtle bird, yellow-rumped warbler, and yellow-crowned warbler.

Myrtle wax. (Bot.) See Bayberry tallow, under Bayberry.

Sand myrtle, a low, branching evergreen shrub ( Leiophyllum buxifolium), growing in New Jersey and southward.

Wax myrtle ( Myrica cerifera). See Bayberry.

n. similar to Audubon's warbler [syn: myrtle bird, Dendroica coronata]

The myrtle warbler (Setophaga coronata coronata) is a small New World warbler.

This passerine bird was long known to be closely related to its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler, and at various times the two forms have been classed as separate species or grouped as yellow-rumped warblers, Setophaga coronata. The two forms most likely diverged when the eastern and western populations were separated in the last ice age. In North America, the two forms are now again officially recognized as conspecific.

The myrtle warbler has a northerly and easterly distribution, with Audubon's further west. It breeds in much of Canada and the northeastern USA. It is migratory, wintering in the southeastern United States, eastern Central America, and the Caribbean. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe, and has wintered in Great Britain.

The summer male myrtle warbler has a slate blue back, and yellow crown, rump and flank patch. It has white tail patches, and the breast is streaked black. The female has a similar pattern, but the back is brown as are the breast streaks.

The myrtle can be distinguished from Audubon's warbler by its whitish eyestripe, white (not yellow) throat, and contrasting cheek patch. Their trill-like songs, nearly indistinguishable, consist of a 3–4 syllable "tyew-tyew-tyew-tyew", sometimes followed by 3 more "tew"'s. The call is a hard check.

Its breeding habitat is a variety of coniferous and mixed woodland. Myrtle warblers nest in a tree, laying 4–5 eggs in a cup nest.

These birds are insectivorous, but will readily take wax-myrtle berries in winter, a habit which gives the species its name. Experienced birders recognize myrtle warblers with the naked eye by their flycatcher-like habit of making short flights from their perch in search of bugs. They form small flocks on migration or in winter.