One day sometime after the first of the year we are likely to see a really brightly-colored warbler that we momentarily can’t identify, then realize it is a Yellow-rumped Warbler “brightening up” (with bright yellow, black, and blue-black) for spring. Given the increasing prevalence of cedar trees on our landscape, I suspect that cedar berries are their primary food in winter in Oklahoma. Its diet in winter has been stated to include many types of berries, including cedar berries. Here we see quite a few in wintertime (2007 OKC CBC-129 birds 2008 OKC CBC-207 birds). The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the heartiest of the warblers of North America, some even spending the winter well north of Oklahoma. The more westward one goes in Oklahoma in winter the more likely one is to encounter an Audubon’s race bird. In winter here in central Oklahoma we have almost all Myrtle race birds, with only a very small number being definite Audubon’s race (1% might be too high). It should not be an embarrassment to anyone to say of a particular bird, I just don’t know which race. But good luck telling this difference on dull-plumaged birds, especially since there are intergrades between the two races that further complicate identification. The primary distinction between the two races in the field is that the Myrtle race has a white throat, while the Audubon’s race has a yellow throat. I would like to discuss a bit about the yellow-rumps stay in central Oklahoma, but also I want to cover a few details about when they are on the breeding grounds elsewhere.įirst, there are two races of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, the Myrtle race and the Audubon’s race. Perhaps all the rain we have been having will stall migration for a few birds until later in May, so keep your eyes open. If you see one in the Oklahoma City area the last half of the month it is worth noting. The use of sticks to remove food from crevices by crows, or the dropping bait in water to attract fish by herons are also examples of learned behavior.The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata), according to the 1986 “OOS Date Guide,” can be found in central Oklahoma from October 6-May 12, so the last ones should be departing about now. Mobbing (the behavior of flocks of birds attacking a predator to drive them away) is one example of learned behavior where young inexperienced birds soon learn to associated danger with mobbing activities and ultimately learn to recognize predators through this behavior. There are many examples of birds using learned behavior, especially when it comes to recognizing predators, nest building and foraging. As with anything, as one practices these behaviors the more comfortable and experienced one becomes in performing the actions associated with the behaviors. Instinctive behaviors are those that animals are born with, while learned behaviors are picked up through observing behavior by others or recognizing opportunities or threats and taking advantage of them. There are two types of behaviors in species, instinctive and learned. Not only did the warblers learn that the cranberry harvest meant accessibility to a bounty of food, but they also learned that the workers and the booms and other harvest machinery did not pose a threat to them as they foraged …and in some cases the workers made for good perching spots for the birds to spy their next meal! Photo by John ParkeĪs we stood watching the harvest of cranberries, and spiders, it was one of those “WOW” moments when you realize you are watching a learned behavior in a species. What Do We Do About John James Audubon?Ī flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers (individuals circled in yellow) glean spiders off the floating cranberries while workers harvest at Pine Island Cranberry Company.
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