Old World Warblers: Sylviidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Zitting Cisticola (cisticola Juncidis): Species Accounts, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (polioptila Caerulea): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, OLD WORLD WARBL
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These birds have a wide distribution, including the subarctic, Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, Australia, and Pacific islands.
Old World warblers occupy a variety of habitats from arid scrubland to islands in the ocean, and every habitable niche in between, ranging from sea level to as high as several thousand feet (meters). Many species occupy specific levels within a habitat, with one species claiming the higher portions, as in the forest canopy, and others claiming lower regions such as bushes or the forest floor.
Generally, this family of birds lives on insects and spiders. Some species eat snails and small crustaceans. Others, such as the golden-crowned kinglet and some African species, feed on nectar and sap. Some large reed warblers eat fish and frogs. Young hatchlings eat insects and occasionally berries. Migratory birds change their diets to berries and fruit in order to have enough stored fat for flying long distances.
Since Old World warblers are insect eaters, they hold the potential to be effective pest control for farmers and timber producers. Some nectar-eating species may also act as pollinators for cultivated plants.
Several species are threatened, or at high risk of becoming extinct, or dying out. Fifteen species of marsh warbler are at high risk of becoming extinct. These species are experiencing population declines due to their isolation on oceanic islands where their habitats are being reduced.
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Many members of this bird family mate for a single nesting or a season, with some mating for life. Males of some species keep two or more females, maintaining separate nests and young. Serial monogamy (muh-NAH-guh-mee), or mating for a single nesting then finding another mate or mates for other nestings, is quite common. Some males have as many as eleven nestings in a season. Courtship behavior is…
Physical characteristics: Also called the fantailed warbler, the fantailed cisticola, and the streaked cisticola, this bird is 3.9 to 4.7 inches (10 to 12 centimeters) long and weighs 0.3 to 0.4 ounces (8 to 12 grams). It has a brown body streaked with black, reddish sides and rump, and a black and white spotted belly. It has a small thin bill, short round wings, and a small tail. Geographic range…
Physical characteristics: The blue-gray gnatcatcher measures 4 to 4.5 inches (10.2 to 11.4 centimeters) long and weighs 0.18 to 0.25 ounces (5 to 7 grams). Bearing a long, thin bill, it has a blue-gray back, a white underbelly with buff sides, a buff colored face, and a long upright tail that is white on the outer edges and black on the inside. When the male breeds, it has a black eye ring; otherw…
Physical characteristics: The Arctic warbler is 4.1 to 5.1 inches long (10.4 to 13 centimeters) and weighs 0.3 to 0.5 ounces (8 to 15 grams). It has an olive-green back, yellowish white belly, a dark eye line, and straw-colored legs. Its wings are long with two white bars on them. Geographic range: This species is found in Alaska, Scandinavia, Japan, and the northern regions of Europe and Asia. It…
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