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[Phyl]

Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata


The Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the most common warblers in North America and the only warbler to regularly winter in Tennessee.  It generally arrives in the state in late September and departs by mid-May.

A couple of other warblers that migrate through the state have yellow rumps, but none of those rumps are as conspicuous.  This distinctive yellow rump-patch has led birdwatchers to give it the affectionate name "butter-butt".

The broad breeding range of this bird stretches from Alaska south to Guatemala and east to the northeastern United States.  It is often abundant in winter in the southern United States, and travels as far as Mexico and the western Caribbean.  In Tennessee, it is commonly found in foraging flocks with Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice.

Description: This small songbird gets its name from the bright yellow rump-patch that both sexes possess year round.  During the non-breeding season, when Yellow-rumped Warblers are present in Tennessee, both the male and female are overall brown with two white wing-bars and a yellow patch on the sides of the breast.

Breeding plumage, which many birds will acquire before departing in the spring, is quite different. The eastern "Myrtle" form has dark-streaked gray upperparts, white wing-bars, a dark cheek-patch, white underparts with dark streaking on the chest, and yellow patches on the sides of the breast. The female is duller than the male.

Length: 5.5"
Wingspan: 9.25
Weight: 0.43 oz

Voice: The song is variable and is not likely to be heard in Tennessee until late winter. It consists of a loose 2-part trill, the second part being slightly lower pitched than the first. The call note is a very distinct check.

Similar Species:

Two other warbler species with yellow rumps migrate through Tennessee: the Magnolia Warbler and Cape May Warbler. Both species have yellow underparts in spring and often in the fall, and neither species has a rump as bright yellow as the Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Habitat: During the nonbreeding season, this warbler is found in almost any habitat and expands its diet to include a substantial amount of fruit.

Diet: Insects and some fruit.

[Phyl]

Yellow-rumped Warbler. continued

Status in Tennessee: This warbler is a common migrant, and a fairly common winter resident across the state from October through April.

Map of Yellow-rumped Warbler eBird observations in Tennessee

Fun Facts:

Until 1973 the Yellow-rumped Warbler was considered two species: the Myrtle Warbler in the East, and Audubon's Warbler in the West. Myrtle and Audubon's Warblers hybridize in the southern Canadian Rockies and based on this and DNA evidence, the two were combined into a single species.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the only warbler able to digest the waxy coats on bayberries and wax myrtles. Its ability to digest these fruits allows it to winter farther north than all other warblers.
Obsolete English Names: myrtle warbler

[Phyl]

Yellow-rumped Warbler. continued

Best places to see in Tennessee: Can be found in mixed species foraging flocks in woodlands throughout the state from October through April.








Sources:

Hunt, P. D. and D. J. Flaspohler. 1998. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata), The Birds of North America, No. 376 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

Robinson J. C. 1990. An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Tennessee. Univ. of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. A. A. Knopf, New York, NY.

[Phyl]

Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens



Although Yellow-breasted Chats are found all across Tennessee, they are frequently overlooked because they keep themselves well hidden in dense brushy vegetation.  The best way to see this bird is in the spring when the male sings his remarkable song from a conspicuous perch.

The song is a jumble of clucks, whistles, cackles, and squawks, occasionally including a mimic of another bird's song.  This bright yellow-breasted songbird was long thought to be the largest of the wood-warblers.  However recent genetic data suggests it is not a warbler at all, but what it is hasn't been resolved.

The Yellow-breasted Chat's summer range extends across the eastern United States and southern Canada, southward to Texas and northern Florida; they are also found in scattered regions across the western United States to very northern Mexico.  Chats winter in Mexico and Central America. They can be found in Tennessee between mid-April and late September.

Description: This medium-sized songbird has a bright yellow chest and throat, solid olive-green back, wings and tail, a white belly, and a long rounded tail. The white around the eye extending to the bill gives the impression of white "spectacles." The female is similar to the male, but her colors are usually not quite as bright.

Length: 7.5"
Wingspan: 9.75"
Weight: 1.88 oz

Voice: The song is an unmusical jumble of clucks, whistles, cackles, and squawks, and occasionally includes a mimic of another bird's song.

Similar Species:

Yellow-throated Vireos are smaller, have two white wingbars, and are found in the canopy of deciduous trees.
Habitat: Chats breed in a variety of dense, brushy habitats including shrubby areas along streams, swamps, forest edges, fencerows, recently abandoned farmland, regenerating burned-over forest, and logged areas.

Diet: Small invertebrates, fruits.

Nesting and reproduction: Yellow-breasted Chats are territorial and usually monogamous. During the early breeding season, the male will occasionally perform a flight-song display where he flies up, hovers with exaggerated wingbeats dangling his legs, and then returns to his perch.

Clutch Size: Usually 3 to 5 eggs, with a range of 1 to 6.

Incubation: The female incubates the eggs for 11 to 14 days.

Fledging: Both parents feed the young, which leave the nest in about 10 days after hatching.

Nest: The female builds the bulky cup of grasses, leaves, and weed stems, and lined with finer materials. It is placed low in a blackberry thicket or other dense shrub. Nest heights in Tennessee range from 1 foot to 6 feet, with an average height of 3 feet.

[Phyl]

Yellow-breasted Chat,continued

Status in Tennessee: The Yellow-breasted Chat is a common summer resident in low-elevation brushy areas throughout the state. They arrive in mid-April and depart in late September. Yellow-breasted Chat numbers have been declining in the state since the beginning of the Breeding Bird Survey in 1966.

Map of Yellow-breasted Chat eBird observations in Tennessee

Fun Facts:

The Yellow-breasted Chat is one of the few songbirds that will frequently sing at night.
Until recently the Yellow-breasted Chat was considered the most atypical New World warbler. The long-standing suspicion that it was not, in fact, a warbler was recently confirmed through genetic studies, but what it is most closely related to has not yet been determined.
Obsolete English Names: long-tailed chat

[Phyl]

Yellow-breasted Chat,continued

Best places to see in Tennessee: Yellow-breasted Chats are found in shrubby habitats in every county. They are most abundant on the Cumberland Plateau and in Middle Tennessee.

[Phyl]

Summer Tanager,
Piranga rubra



Also known in Tennessee as the "summer redbird," the Summer Tanager is one of the most striking birds that nests in the state. It is a bit difficult to see, however, because it prefers to forage high in the tree canopy. The song of the Summer Tanager can be confused with the song of the Scarlet Tanager, but their picky-tucky-tuck call is unique. Summer Tanagers breed across the southern United States to northern Mexico, and northward to southern Iowa and New Jersey; they spend the winter in Central and northern South America. They arrive in Tennessee in late April and migrate south by early October.

Description: The male and female look completely different. The male is entirely red and the female is a entirely dull yellow, but both have a stout pale bill. Males do not attain their fully red plumage until their second fall, so first-year breeding birds may be patterned yellow-orange and red. Males retain their red plumage throughout the year.
Length: 7.75"
Wingspan: 12"
Weight: 1 oz

Voice: The song is a series of robin-like musical phrases, some with a slightly buzzy quality. The call is a unique picky-tucky-tuck or pick it up pick it up.

Similar Species:

Male Northern Cardinals are overall red, but have a black face, conical red bill, and an obvious crest.
Scarlet Tanager males are overall scarlet-red, but have black wings; the female is overall greenish-yellow with darker wings and a thinner bill. These two tanagers can have overlapping territories in Tennessee.
The song of the Scarlet Tanager tends to be more hoarse, but similar to the Summer Tanager's song, however, their chik-burrr call, is distinctive.
Female orioles have white wing-bars and more pointed bills.
Habitat: Summer Tanagers breed in deciduous forests, and occasionally in pine-oak forests.

Diet: Summer Tanagers eat insects, especially bees and wasps, and some fruit outside of breeding season.

Nesting and reproduction: In Tennessee egg laying peaks in the second half of May.

Clutch Size: Usually 3 to 4 eggs, with a range of 2 to 5.

Incubation: The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days, and is frequently fed by the male.

Fledging: Both adults feed the young, which fledge in about 10 days. Fledglings remain in the parent's territory for another 3 weeks.

Nest: The female builds the shallow cup-nest of dried or fresh grasses, weed stems, and lines it with fine grasses and rootlets. The nest is usually placed in a fork on a horizontal branch far from the trunk. Nest heights in Tennessee range from 4 feet to 30 feet, with an average of 13 feet.

[Phyl]

Summer Tanager,, continued

Status in Tennessee: The Summer Tanager is a fairly common summer resident of low elevation forests across the state. It arrives in Tennessee in late April and departs by early October. The population appears to be stable.

Map of Summer Tanager eBird observations in Tennessee


Fun Facts:

The Summer Tanager is a bee and wasp specialist. They capture bees and wasps in flight, killing them by beating them against a branch, and removing the stinger before consuming the insect.
Where Summer and Scarlet tanagers occur together, the Summer Tanager prefers to breed in shorter and more open woodlands.
Based on genetic studies, in 2009 taxonomists took Piranga tanagers from their own family (Thraupidae) and placed them in Cardinalidae with buntings, cardinals, and grosbeaks.
Older female Summer Tanagers may have some red feathers.
Obsolete English Names: summer redbird, Cooper's tanager

[Phyl]

Summer Tanager,, continued


Best places to see in Tennessee: Summer Tanagers are most easily seen in the spring, before the trees leaf out, in mature forests in Middle and West Tennessee.







Sources:

Nicholson, C. P. 1997. Atlas of Breeding Birds of Tennessee. Univ. Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Robinson, W. Douglas. 1996. Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra), The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. A. A. Knopf, New York, NY.

[Phyl]

Scarlet Tanager,
Piranga olivacea



The male Scarlet Tanager is one of the most brilliantly colored birds nesting in Tennessee.  Nevertheless, he can be overlooked because of his unobtrusive behavior and preference for the forest canopy.

The song of the Scarlet Tanager is reminiscent of a hoarse American Robin and is similar to the song of the Summer Tanager, but the chik-burr call-note is distinctive.

This tanager is a long distance migrant, flying from its breeding grounds across the east-central United States to northwestern South America where it spends the winter. Scarlet Tanagers arrive in Tennessee by mid-April and usually departing by mid-October.

Description: Male and female Scarlet Tanagers look completely different. The breeding plumage of the male is a brilliant scarlet-red with black wings and a black tail. The female is overall greenish-yellow with darker wings. At the end of the breeding season, males undergo a complete molt and look like the female, but with black wings and tail.

Length: 7"
Wingspan: 11.5"
Weight: 0.98 oz

Voice: The song is a series of hoarse robin-like musical phrases. Sometimes described as sounding like a robin with a sore throat. The call is a unique chik-burr.

Similar Species:

Summer Tanager males are a duller red with red wings and tail; the female is overall dull yellow. Summer Tanagers have a stouter bill.
The song of the Summer Tanager tends to be less hoarse, but similar to the Scarlet Tanager's song, however, their picky-tucky-tuck call is distinctive.
Female orioles have white wing-bars.
Habitat: Scarlet Tanagers require large continuous mature forest blocks for successful breeding. They winter in montane evergreen forests.

Diet: Primarily insects, with some worms, snails, fruits, and berries.

Nesting and reproduction: Scarlet Tanagers are monogamous, and raise one brood in a season.

Clutch Size: Usually 4 eggs, with a range of 1 to 6 eggs.

Incubation: The female incubates the eggs for 13 to 14 days, and is frequently fed by the male.

Fledging: Both parents feed the nestlings insects and fruit, and the young fledge in about 15 days.

Nest: The female builds the shallow nest of twigs and weed stems, and lines it with fine grasses. The nest is placed on a horizontal branch, often far from the tree trunk, often among a cluster of leaves. Nest heights in Tennessee range from 7 feet to 40 feet, with an average of 23 feet.

[Phyl]

Scarlet Tanager, continued

Status in Tennessee: This summer resident can be found across the state in mature hardwood and mixed hardwood-pine forests. It is rare in the western and middle parts of the state, but fairly common in the east. Scarlet Tanagers can be found in the state from mid-April until mid-October, and their numbers have been increasing in Tennessee since the beginning of the Breeding Bird Survey in 1966.

Map of Scarlet Tanager eBird observations in Tennessee


Fun Facts:

Scarlet Tanagers join mixed-species flocks with flycatchers, antbirds, woodcreepers, and resident tropical tanagers when on the wintering grounds in South America.
Female Scarlet Tanagers also sing. Their song is softer and less harsh and sung in response to her mate or when she is gathering nest material.
Obsolete English Names: black-winged redbird

Best places to see in Tennessee: Scarlet Tanagers are most easily seen in the spring before the trees leaf out.

[Phyl]

Scarlet Tanager, continued







Sources:

Nicholson, C. P. 1997. Atlas of Breeding Birds of Tennessee. Univ. Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Mowbray, Thomas B. 1999. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. A. A. Knopf, New York, NY.

[Phyl]

Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus



The familiar drink-your-tea song of the Eastern Towhee is one of the first birdsongs that a beginning birdwatcher learns. This rather secretive bird can often be located by the noise it makes while foraging in dead leaves. It will also sometimes announce itself by calling tow-ee from the thick shrubbery where it spends much of its time.  Fortunately, it will also forage on suburban lawns near shrubs and under birdfeeders.

The Eastern Towhee is a year round resident in Tennessee, and is joined in winter by more northerly breeding individuals. The breeding range extends across the eastern United States from southern Canada to southern Florida and the Gulf Coast. In winter, it occupies the southeastern portion of the breeding range and into south Texas.

Description: The male and female Eastern Towhee look different. The male has a black hood and upperparts and the female is rich brown where the male is black. Both are white below, rusty (rufous) sides, have a white patch on the wing, and a long tail with conspicuous white spots on the outer corners of the feathers. The eyes are red (white in Florida birds). Juvenile birds (May-August) are overall brown with heavy streaking.

Length: 8.5"
Wingspan: 10.5"
Weight: 1.4 oz

Voice: The song is a short, three-note drink-your-tea-ee-ee, ending in a higher pitched trill. The call is a sharp, loud che-wink or tow-whee.

Similar Species:

There is no other similarly pattern bird found in Tennessee.
Habitat: Eastern Towhees are found in a variety of shrubby habitats including old fields, forest edges, and residential areas. Males occasionally sing from high perches, but generally they stay low in brush.

Diet: Seeds, fruits, spiders, insects, and other invertebrates.

Nesting and reproduction: Towhees have a long breeding season in Tennessee, lasting from late March through August, and will usually produce two broods in a season. Eastern Towhees are monogamous, and males display for their mate by flashing the white spots on his wings and tail.

Clutch Size: 2 to 6 eggs, with 3 to 5 eggs most common.

Incubation: The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 13 days.

Fledging: The nestlings are tended by both parents and leave the nest in 10 to 12 days. The female starts the second clutch 8 to 12 days after the young from the first nest have fledged.

Nest: The nest, built by the female, is usually concealed on the ground (early nests) or in low shrubs (later nests). It is built of twigs, leaves, and bark, and is lined with fine grasses and rootlets. More Tennessee nests have been reported in red cedar trees than any other tree or shrub species.

[Phyl]

Eastern Towhee,   continued

Status in Tennessee: The Eastern Towhee is a common permanent resident across the state. Migrants from more northerly populations join Tennessee's residents during the winter. The Tennessee towhee population is declining, as it is elsewhere in its range. The decline is thought to be a result of natural forest succession, "cleaner" farming techniques and urban development. Eastern Towhees are frequent hosts to Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Map of Eastern Towhee eBird observations in Tennessee

Fun Facts:

Eastern Towhee was known as the Rufous-sided Towhee until 1995 when genetic studies determined that is was a separate species from the Spotted Towhee of the western United States.
Eastern Towhees have increased locally in the Smoky Mountains at higher elevations with the recent death of mature fir trees from the balsam woolly adelgid infestation. This insect was introduced from Europe around 1900 and is considered a serious pest.
Painter-cartographer John White made the first written description of the Eastern Towhee in 1582 on a visit to the failed settlement on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
Eastern Towhee's have red eyes across the majority of their range, but in Florida and extreme southern Georgia they have white eyes. In the region between south Alabama to southeast North Carolina eye-color is variable. This region of intergradation is an indication that these two populations have only recently come together. During the Pleistocene era, Florida was an island and now that sea levels are lower, these two populations are again contacted.
The oldest known Eastern Towhee in the wild was 9 years, 10 months old.
Obsolete English Names: towhee bunting, rufous-sided towhee

Best places to see in Tennessee: overgrown fields and forest edges statewide.

[Phyl]

Eastern Towhee,   continued





Sources:
Greenlaw, J. S. 1996. Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), The Birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

Nicholson, C. P. 1997. Atlas of Breeding Birds of Tennessee. Univ. Tennessee Press, Knoxville.
Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. A. A. Knopf, New York, NY.