What is "prairie warbler"

Prairie \Prai"rie\, n. [F., an extensive meadow, OF. praerie, LL. prataria, fr. L. pratum a meadow.]

1. An extensive tract of level or rolling land, destitute of trees, covered with coarse grass, and usually characterized by a deep, fertile soil. They abound throughout the Mississippi valley, between the Alleghanies and the Rocky mountains.

   From the forests and the prairies, From the great lakes of the northland.
   --Longfellow.

2. A meadow or tract of grass; especially, a so called natural meadow.

   Prairie chicken (Zo["o]l.), any American grouse of the genus Tympanuchus, especially Tympanuchus Americanus (formerly Tympanuchus cupido), which inhabits the prairies of the central United States. Applied also to the sharp-tailed grouse.

   Prairie clover (Bot.), any plant of the leguminous genus Petalostemon, having small rosy or white flowers in dense terminal heads or spikes. Several species occur in the prairies of the United States.

   Prairie dock (Bot.), a coarse composite plant ( Silphium terebinthaceum) with large rough leaves and yellow flowers, found in the Western prairies.

   Prairie dog (Zo["o]l.), a small American rodent ( Cynomys Ludovicianus) allied to the marmots. It inhabits the plains west of the Mississippi. The prairie dogs burrow in the ground in large warrens, and have a sharp bark like that of a dog. Called also prairie marmot.

   Prairie grouse. Same as Prairie chicken, above.

   Prairie hare (Zo["o]l.), a large long-eared Western hare ( Lepus campestris). See Jack rabbit, under 2d Jack.

   Prairie hawk, Prairie falcon (Zo["o]l.), a falcon of Western North America ( Falco Mexicanus). The upper parts are brown. The tail has transverse bands of white; the under parts, longitudinal streaks and spots of brown.

   Prairie hen. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Prairie chicken, above.

   Prairie itch (Med.), an affection of the skin attended with intense itching, which is observed in the Northern and Western United States; -- also called swamp itch, winter itch.

   Prairie marmot. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Prairie dog, above.

   Prairie mole (Zo["o]l.), a large American mole ( Scalops argentatus), native of the Western prairies.

   Prairie pigeon, Prairie plover, or Prairie snipe (Zo["o]l.), the upland plover. See Plover, n., 2.

   Prairie rattlesnake (Zo["o]l.), the massasauga.

   Prairie snake (Zo["o]l.), a large harmless American snake ( Masticophis flavigularis). It is pale yellow, tinged with brown above.

   Prairie squirrel (Zo["o]l.), any American ground squirrel of the genus Spermophilus, inhabiting prairies; -- called also gopher.

   Prairie turnip (Bot.), the edible turnip-shaped farinaceous root of a leguminous plant ( Psoralea esculenta) of the Upper Missouri region; also, the plant itself. Called also pomme blanche, and pomme de prairie.

   Prairie warbler (Zo["o]l.), a bright-colored American warbler ( Dendroica discolor). The back is olive yellow, with a group of reddish spots in the middle; the under parts and the parts around the eyes are bright yellow; the sides of the throat and spots along the sides, black; three outer tail feathers partly white.

   Prairie wolf. (Zo["o]l.) See Coyote.

The prairie warbler (Setophaga discolor) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.

These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive upperparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot below it. These birds have black legs, long tails, two pale wing bars, and thin pointed bills. Coloring is duller in female and immatures.

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Their breeding habitats are brushy areas and forest edges in eastern North America. The prairie warbler's nests are open cups, which are usually placed in a low area of a tree or shrub. Incubation period is 12 to 13 days.

These birds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range. Other birds migrate to northeastern Mexico and islands in the Caribbean.

Prairie warblers forage actively on tree branches, and sometimes fly around with the purpose of catching insects, which are the main food source of these birds.

Prairie warblers have two categories of songs, referred to as Type A and Type B. Type A songs are typically a series of ascending buzzy notes. The B songs are an ascending series of whistled notes that often contain some buzzy notes. Compared to A songs, the B songs are lower in pitch, have fewer, longer notes. The total song length is longer as well in Type B songs. The use of these two song categories is associated with certain contexts. A songs are sung throughout the day when males first arrive on their breeding grounds. Once males are paired they begin to sing B songs during the dawn chorus and then will intersperse A songs in their singing during the rest of the day. During this later period of singing A songs are typically used near females, near the nest, and in the center of their territories. In contrast B songs are used when interacting or fighting with other males and near the borders of their territories.

Part of their call note repertoire is a tsip call. During dawn, chorus B songs are interspersed with rapid loud "check" calls.

These birds wag their tails frequently.

The numbers of these birds are declining due to habitat loss; this species also suffers from nest parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird.