Birds of New Hampshire & Vermont Field Guide. Stan Tekiela
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male
female
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
SUMMER
| Size: | 5" (13 cm) |
| Male: | Striped like a zebra, this small warbler has a distinctive black-and-white striped crown. White belly. Black chin and cheek patch. |
| Female: | same as male, only duller and without the black chin and cheek patch |
| Juvenile: | similar to female |
| Nest: | cup; female builds; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 4-5; white with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 10-11 days; female incubates |
| Fledging: | 9-12 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to Florida, Mexico and Central and South America |
| Food: | insects |
| Compare: | Like the White-breasted Nuthatch and Red-breasted Nuthatch, look for Black-and-white Warbler to creep down tree trunks headfirst. |
Stan’s Notes: This is the only warbler that moves headfirst down tree trunks. Look for it searching for insect eggs in the bark of large trees. Its song sounds like a slowly turning, squeaky wheel going round and round. Female performs a distraction dance to draw predators away from the nest. Constructs its nest on the ground, concealing it under dead leaves or at the base of a tree. Found in a variety of habitats.
female
male
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
YEAR-ROUND
| Size: | 6" (15 cm) |
| Male: | A small woodpecker with an all-white belly, black-and-white spotted wings, a black line running through the eyes, a short black bill, a white stripe down the back and red mark on the back of the head. Several small black spots along the sides of white tail. |
| Female: | same as male, but lacks a red mark on head |
| Juvenile: | same as female, some have a red mark near the forehead |
| Nest: | cavity; male and female excavate; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 3-5; white without markings |
| Incubation: | 11-12 days; female and male incubate, female incubates during the day, male at night |
| Fledging: | 20-25 days; male and female feed young |
| Migration: | non-migrator |
| Food: | insects, seeds; visits seed and suet feeders |
| Compare: | Nearly identical to the Hairy Woodpecker, but smaller. Look for the shorter, thinner bill to help identify the Downy. |
Stan’s Notes: Abundant and widespread where trees are present, and perhaps the most common woodpecker in the United States. Stiff tail feathers help brace it like a tripod as it clings to a tree. Like all woodpeckers, it has a long, barbed tongue to pull insects from tiny places. Male and female drum on branches or hollow logs to announce territory, which is rarely larger than 5 acres (2 ha). Male performs most of the brooding. Will winter roost in cavity.
male
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
SUMMER
| Size: | 7-8" (18-20 cm) |
| Male: | A plump black-and-white bird with a large, triangular rose patch in the center of chest. Wing linings are rosy red. Large ivory bill. |
| Female: | heavily streaked brown and white bird, large white eyebrows, orange yellow wing linings |
| Juvenile: | similar to female |
| Nest: | cup; female and male construct; 1-2 broods per year |
| Eggs: | 3-5; blue green with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 13-14 days; female and male incubate |
| Fledging: | 9-12 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to Mexico, Central America and South America |
| Food: | insects, seeds, fruit; comes to seed feeders |
| Compare: | Male is very distinctive with no look-alikes. |
Stan’s Notes: Seen in small groups throughout New Hampshire and Vermont during spring and migration. Often prefers a mature deciduous forest for nesting. Both sexes sing, but the male sings much louder and clearer. Sings a rich, robin-like song. Common name “Grosbeak” refers to its large bill, used to crush seeds. Rose breast patch varies in size and shape in each male. Males have white wing patches that flash in flight. Males arrive at their destinations first, joined by the females several days later. Several will come to seed feeders at the same time during spring. When the females arrive, males become territorial and reduce their visits to feeders. Young grosbeaks visit feeders with the adults after fledging.
female
male
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
MIGRATION
SUMMER
| Size: | 8-9" (20-22.5 cm) |
| Male: | Medium-sized woodpecker with a checkered back. Red forehead, crown and chin. Tan-to-yellow breast and belly. White wing patches flash while flying. |
| Female: | similar to male, white chin |
| Juvenile: | similar to female, dull brown and lacks any red marking |
| Nest: | cavity; female and male excavate; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 5-6; white without markings |
| Incubation: | 12-13 days; female and male incubate, female incubates during the day, male at night |
| Fledging: | 25-29 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to southern states, Mexico and Central America |
| Food: | insects, tree sap; comes to suet feeders |
| Compare: | Similar to other woodpeckers, but the male is the only woodpecker in New Hampshire and Vermont with a red chin. Female Yellow-bellied has a white chin. |
Stan’s Notes: Drills holes in a pattern of horizontal rows in small- to medium-sized trees to bleed tree sap. Many birds drink from the sapsucker taps. Oozing sap also attracts insects, which sapsuckers eat. Sapsuckers will defend their sapping sites from the other birds. They don’t suck sap; rather, they lap it with their long tongues.