dendroica:

Female color perception affects evolution of male plumage in birds

The expression of a gene involved in female birds’ color vision is linked to the evolution of colorful plumage in males, reports a new study from the University of Chicago. The findings, published Nov. 26 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, confirm the essential role of female color perception in mate selection and sexual dimorphism.

“This is the first time an aspect of the visual system in birds has been directly associated with plumage evolution,” said Natasha Bloch, PhD, who authored the study while a graduate student in ecology & evolution at the University of Chicago. “It tells us color perception plays an important role in the evolution of the spectacular diversity of colors we see in nature.”

Striking differences in coloration between males and females are found across bird species, but the evolutionary causes of this variation are poorly understood. Female color vision and perception are thought to play a role, but measuring this behavior in the laboratory has proven difficult.

To study the link, Bloch focused on opsins – specialized proteins in the retina that are responsible for detecting light. In birds, four types of opsins contribute to color vision, each with different sensitivity ranges for certain wavelengths of light.

Bloch measured gene expression levels of these opsins in males and females from 16 species of New World warblers, a family of songbirds common across the Americas. She found that opsin expression varied greatly between species. As this is a measure of opsin abundance and density, her results suggest the species vary in their sensitivity to and ability to perceive color.

(Read more via phys.org)

Photo credit: Mdf, DickDaniels, Wikimedia Commons.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1x6asaO.

thalassarche:

Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) – photo by Laura Keene

A member of Parulidae, but one that has always struck me as a little… different.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1mmajqi.

astronomy-to-zoology:

Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii)

…a small species of New World warbler that occurs in a limited area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, although individuals have been spotted in Ontario and Quebec as well. They will winter in a small area in the Bahamas, and parts of Turks and Caicos. Like other warblers S.kirtlandii feeds mostly on flying insects, however they are also known to eat pine needles, grasses, and berries. Males will  arrive at the breeding site before the females and will promptly claim and defend a piece of territory by singing. When the females arrive they will judge the males based on their voices and will select the ones with the best songs. Egg laying will occurs between May and June and 3-6 eggs are reared.

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Passeriformes-Parulidae-Setophaga-S. kirtlandii

Images: Tom Benson and Jeol Trick

Reposted from http://ift.tt/ThO6T3.

dendroica:

dehanginggarden:

Curious? 1308 by Sooper-Deviant

Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens).

Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Ohio.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1iVN2ue.

rhamphotheca:

The Townsend’s Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) is one of the more rare migrants passing through the Texas during this spring migration. This beautiful male stopped over on South Padre Island this past weekend.This is usually a more Westerly warbler, and isn’t seen in Texas very often.

Photo capture by Donna McCown

(via: Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1puOCrv.

sun-stones:

Blackburnian Warbler by Langooney on Flickr.

Warning: Parulidae on dashboard may be larger than they appear.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1jdsBaV.

“We birders experience a bit of an obsession with the Parulids every year, and the reasons are both obvious and not. No warbler can compete with the haunting songs of any Catharus thrush. And while some may come close, none that I know in the ABA Area glows from within like a male Scarlet Tanager or Baltimore Oriole. The migrations of shorebirds are more impressive in pure distance. The Empid flycatchers challenge us more thoroughly. The hawks more dramatic in their numbers. But still it’s the warblers that capture us. That we travel to bird festivals specifically to see. That I have tallied so diligently for myself this spring. That truly make or break spring migration for so many birders, particularly in the eastern part of the continent. They’re beautiful, sure. Their migration is remarkable and despite the balance being mostly variations on yellow or brown, many are knock-your-socks-off beautiful. But mostly, there are just so many of them. I’m convinced that the obsession with this family above all this time of year comes from their amazing diversity. And birders, being nothing if not fervent collectors of experiences (for good or ill), are left helpless before the wave of birds.”

– Nate Swick, On Spring and the Warbler Obsession « ABA Blog (via dendroica)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1isePp5.

just-breezy:

Not a Nuthatch (by DistantFocus)

Black-and-white Warbler

But almost as cool.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/Qava6G.

lifeinanrv:

Him/Her/Her/Him Hooded Warblers

Reposted from http://ift.tt/Q7dWH8.

newbirder:

A pine warbler on a chilly morning in Duke Gardens. So fluffy!

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1lYDyAL.

newbirder:

I recently took a trip up to Maine for a few days. Though it was too early for most warblers, we did see a few bright yellow palm warblers! They definitely stand out in the brown and tan scenery.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1h3oGO9.

araknesharem:

Any more where that came from? by cheryl.rose83 on Flickr.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1hmDuGM.

fairy-wren:

Black-and-white Warbler ( Mniotilta varia ) by gary1844 on Flickr.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1tjKuh6.

dendroica:

Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler on Flickr.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/OQQY6J.

It’s spring warbler time! Here on the west side of North America it’s pretty fun, especially if you live someplace like Carp that has the 8th Street footbridge to take you right into the sycamore canopy. But on the east coast the spring warbler migration is out of control.

In this video Jessie Barry and Chris Wood from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology sneak onto the Parulidae Junior High campus to see what they can find. Hilarity ensues.

This is a really good day.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1qmnlX7.

wingedjewels:

Common Yellowthroat by Larry and Dena on Flickr.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1mQoEgx.

dendroica:

lifeinanrv:

Tired little migrator

Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)

Sometimes when we were on races off the coast when I was growing up a warbler would appear on the boat out of nowhere and hop around, acting quite tame. They’d hang around for 15 minutes up to a couple of hours, then they’d be off again.

Migration is hard work.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1q8xLcC.

rhamphotheca:

Wildlife Oases in New York’s Concrete Jungle

A resourceful researcher discovers that urban green roofs attract surprisingly large numbers of migratory birds and their insect prey

by Rachel Nuwer

NEW YORK CITY’S CONGESTED AVENUES and imposing skyscrapers hardly seem like suitable wildlife habitat, save perhaps for the most hardy pigeon or rat.

But each year a teeming diversity of migrating birds pass through this urban jungle. While most of those feathered visitors are drawn to large expanses of green such as Central Park, Prospect Park and Jamaica Bay, others congregate in whatever small pockets of habitat they can find—a vacant lot or a bushy median strip—where they feed and rest before continuing on their way.

Now, a growing number of green roofs in the city are adding to those avian refuges, providing safe havens high above the honking cabs and frenetic crowds…

(read more: National Wildlife Federation)

photos: Magnolia Warbler – Sanjib Bhattacharya and rooftop garden – Dustin Partridge

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1h7WSg6.

ecowatchorg:

Study Finds Up to One Billion Birds Killed in Building Collisions Each Year

In the most comprehensive study of its kind, involving the review and analysis of almost two dozen studies and more than 92,000 records, federal scientists have found that between 365 and 988 million birds are likely killed in the U.S. each year as a result of collisions with buildings.

READ MORE:

http://ift.tt/1jrKYvb

Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1jrL1qO.

crotalinae:

Orange-crowned Warbler

Butte County, California

Bright guy… he was almost neon green in person.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1jggJvx.