WOOD-WARBLERS   -   PARULIDAE

Flame-throated Warbler Oreothlypis gutturalis Savegre Valley, San José province, Costa Rica. This is a Chiriquí Endemic, a species found only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. The NACC has resurrected an old genus, Oreothlypis, for several North American and Central American species such as this one, which used to be placed in Parula. (S6)

Crescent-chested Warbler Oreothlypis superciliosa superciliosa La Cumbre, Oaxaca state, Mexico. A pretty warbler found in mountains from Mexico to Nicaragua. It is a vagrant to Southeast Arizona. Like Flame-throated Warbler, it was formerly placed in Parula. (S5)

Crescent-chested Warbler Parula superciliosa superciliosa Cerro Machín, Oaxaca state, Mexico. This angle shows the crescent better. (S5)

Tropical Parula Parula pitiayumi alarum Old Loja-Zamora road, Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador. Found from South Texas all the way south to northern Argentina and Uruguay. (S6)

Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia aureola North Seymour Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. Male.  This is the subspecies found widely in the Galapagos. It is also the subspecies on Cocos Island off the west coast of Costa Rica - this isn't so strange if you believe the theory that the Cocos Island Finch was the ancestor of all the Darwin's Finches. (S5)

Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler Dendroica coronata auduboni La Cumbre, Oaxaca state, Mexico. Female. A very familiar bird to North American birders! (S5)

Black-throated Green-Warbler Dendroica virens Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz state, Mexico. Male. The majority of Black-throated Green Warblers spend the winter in Mexico. (S5)

Black-throated Green-Warbler Dendroica virens North of Mapastepec, Chiapas state, Mexico. Female. (S5)

Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea High Island, Texas, USA. Male. I've decided to include some photos taken outside of the neotropics, as long as they are migratory species that winter in the neotropical region. (D3)

Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla High Island, Texas, USA. A bird resting during its northern transit. (D3)

MacGillivray's Warbler Oporornis tolmiei Monte Alban, Oaxaca state, Mexico. Female. Most of the population winters in Mexico, but a few make it as far south as Panama. (S5)

Olive-crowned Yellowthroat Geothlypis aequinoctialis semiflava End of the Milpe road, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Female. (S5)

Masked Yellowthroat Geothlypis aequinoctialis velata Chapada de Diamantina, Bahia state, Brazil Male. (D3)

Red Warbler Ergaticus ruber ruber Highway 175 between Valle Nacional and Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico. A very striking little bird that is endemic to Mexico. There is another races as well with gray face patches. (S5)

Pink-headed Warbler Ergaticus versicolor Volcán Tacaná, Chiapas state, Mexico. These are fantastic little birds, one of my favorites from my Mexico trip in February 2009. It is endemic to Guatemala and the state of Chiapas in Mexico. This photo was taken about 50 meters from the Guatemalan border. (S5)

Slate-throated Redstart (Whitestart) Myioborus miniatus ballux Tandayapa Valley, Pichincha province, Ecuador. SACC continues to call them redstarts, and all propopsals to that change the name have failed (it didn't help that one of them was very rude!). I just can't call them redstarts, it's an inappropriate name, and pretty much all recent field guides have adopted the name "whitestart". (S4)

Brown-capped Redstart (Whitestart) Myioborus brunniceps Rio Los Sosa, Tucumán province, Argentina. The southernmost member of the genus, found in the yungas forests of Bolivia and Argentina. (S5)

Collared Redstart (Whitestart) Myioborus torquatus Savegre Valley, San José province, Costa Rica. Another Chiriquí Endemic, restricted to the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. This cute bird seems totally unafraid of people and is very approachable. Apparently a local name for it is "Amigo de Hombre" or "Man's Friend". On my first trip to Costa Rica in 1998, one of these guys followed me down a trail for something like 20 minutes. All I can think is that I was being a "beater" for it, disturbing insects for it to eat. (S6)

Spectacled Redstart (Whitestart) Myioborus melanocephalus ruficoronatus Reserva Geobotanica Pululahua, Pichincha province, Ecuador. A typical individual. Compare it to the following photo. (S5)

Spectacled Redstart (Whitestart) Myioborus melanocephalus ruficoronatus(?) Santa Barbara-La Bonita road, Sucumbíos province, Ecuador. Towards the northern limit of this species' range, in northern Ecuador and southern Colombia, it shows an entirely yellow forehead. This suggests intergradation with the Golden-fronted Whitestart M. ornatus that replaces it to the north. They should perhaps be conisidered conspecific, or maybe these birds should be described as a new subspecies. More research is needed. (S5f)

Yellow-crowned Redstart (Whitestart) Myioborus flavivertex El Dorado reserve, Santa Marta Mountains, Magdalena department, Colombia. Endemic to the Santa Marta Mountains. (S6)

Gray-and-gold Warbler Basileuterus fraseri fraseri Buenaventura reserve, El Oro province, Ecuador. These are the two warblers endemic to the Tumbesian Region on western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. They occasionally occur together in more humid foothill regions, such as at Buenaventura. (S5)		Three-banded Warbler Basileuterus trifasciatus nitidior Buenaventura reserve, El Oro province, Ecuador. (S5)

Citrine Warbler Basileuterus luteoviridis luteoviridis Cerro Toledo, Loja province, Ecuador. (S5)

Pale-legged Warbler Basileuterus signatus flavovirens Calilegua NP, Jujuy province, Argentina. A similar species to the Citrine Warbler B. luteoviridis. Citrine is found mainly southwards, but they do overlap in Peru. Note Pale-legged's longer yellow eyebrow that extends beyond the eye. (S5)

Black-crested Warbler Basileuterus nigrocristatus Sangay National Park, Morona-Santiago province, Ecuador. Similar to the previous two species, but has pure black on the crown and lores. (S5)

Russet-crowned Warbler Basileuterus coronatus elatus Reserva Geobotánica Pululahua, Pichincha province, Ecuador. This common and widespread Andean cloudforest species has one of the most recognizable songs of any bird in the mountain range. Click below to listen to a duet from a pair. (S6)

Golden-crowned Warbler Basileuterus culicivorus culicivorus Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz state, Mexico. (S5)

Golden-crowned Warbler Basileuterus culicivorus azarae Reserva Biológica de Saltinho, Pernambuco state, Brazil. (S6)

White-bellied Warbler Basileuterus hypoleucus São José da Serra, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Replaces Golden-crowned Warbler B. culicivorus in dry forest in interior southern Brazil and adjacent countries. A very similar species; it's voice is almost identical. (S5f)

Rufous-capped Warbler Basileuterus rufifrons rufifrons El Ocote Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas state, Mexico. Rufous-capped Warbler may well comprise two species - compare these two photos. The nominate group, which is pretty much endemic to Mexico, has yellow only on the throat and breast and the rufous is brighter, along with some other minor differences. There also seems to be a difference in vocalizations, but I haven't looked at that too closely. (S5)

Rufous-capped Warbler Basileuterus rufifrons delattrii Northeast of Mapastepec, Chiapas state, Mexico. Note the complete yellow underparts. (S5)

Golden-browed Warbler Basileuterus belli scitulus Volcán Tacaná, Chiapas state, Mexico. Found in montane forest from Mexico to Honduras. (S5)

Black-cheeked Warbler Basileuterus melanogenys melanogenys Savegre Valley, San José province, Costa Rica. Another Chiriquí Endemic, restricted to the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. (S6)

Flavescent Warbler Basileuterus flaveolus flaveolus Serra do Cipó NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A common bird in the understory of dry forest in much of central and eastern Brazil, as well as bordering countries. There is also a disjunct subspecies in Venezuela & Colombia. (S5f)

Wrenthrush Zeledonia coronata Cerro de la Muerte, San José province, Costa Rica. The most aberrant member, formerly separated off in its own monotypic family. (D3)