The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful,

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

. The family contains 120 species. They are not closely related to

Old World warbler The Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. They are not closely related to the New World warblers. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxo ...

s or Australian warblers. Most are

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

, but some, like the

ovenbird The ovenbird (''Seiurus aurocapilla'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (biology), family (Parulidae). This bird migration, migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many List of Caribbean ...

and the two

waterthrush The waterthrushes are a genus of New World warbler, ''Parkesia''. The genus was split from ''Seiurus'', which previously contained both waterthrush species and the ovenbird. When the genera split, the ovenbird was the only member left in ''Sei ...

es, are primarily terrestrial. Most members of this family are

insectivore file:Common brown robberfly with prey.jpg, A Asilidae, robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivore, carnivorous animal or plant which eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the Entomophagy ...

s. This group likely originated in northern

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, where the greatest number of species and diversity between them is found. From there, they spread north during the interglacial periods, mainly as

migrants Migrant is a term that may refer to: Human migration *Human migration, including: **Emigration, leaving one's resident country with the intent to settle elsewhere. 1988 Webster's Definition. One who migrates, esp. from 1 region to another in sear ...

, returning to the ancestral region in winter. Two genera, '' Myioborus'' and ''

Basileuterus ''Basileuterus'' is a genus of New World warblers, best represented in Central and South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller porti ...

'', seem to have colonized

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

early, perhaps before the two continents were linked, and together constitute most warbler species of that region. The scientific name for the family, Parulidae, originates from the fact that

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

named the

northern parula The northern parula (''Setophaga americana'') is a small New World warbler. It is migratory and breeds in eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida. Taxonomy The northern parula was Species description, formally described in 1758 by ...

as a tit, ''Parus americanus'', and as taxonomy developed, the genus name was modified first to ''Parulus'' and then to ''

Parula ''Parula'' was formerly a small genus of New World warblers which breed in North America, North and South America. In 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 1758, Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus classified the northern parula as a titmouse, tit, ''Parus ameri ...

''. The family name derives from the name for the genus.

Taxonomy

The family Parulidae was introduced for the New World warblers in 1947 by American ornithologist

Alexander Wetmore Frank Alexander Wetmore (June 18, 1886 – December 7, 1978) was an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist. He was the sixth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He was also an elected member of both the American Philosophical Soc ...

and collaborators with ''

'' as the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...

. ''Parula'' is now considered as a

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

of ''

Setophaga ''Setophaga'' is a genus of birds of the New World warbler family Parulidae. It contains at least 34 species. The ''Setophaga'' warblers are an example of adaptive radiation with the various species using different feeding techniques and often f ...

''. The family was formerly thought to be

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

to a clade containing the

yellow-breasted chat The yellow-breasted chat (''Icteria virens'') is a large songbird found in America, and is the only member of the family Icteriidae. It was once a member of the New World warbler family Parulidae, but in 2017, the American Ornithological Socie ...

in its own family Icteriidae, the wrenthrush in its own family Zeledoniidae, the two Cuban warblers in the family Teretistridae and the 109 species in the family

Icteridae Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. The family contains 108 species and is divided into 30 genera. Most species have black as a predominant ...

. However, more recent studies recover them as sister to a clade containing just the yellow-breasted chat and the Icteridae, with the clade containing all three families being sister to a clade containing the chat-tanagers in Calyptophilidae, the wrenthrush, and the

Phaenicophilidae Phaenicophilidae is a family of passerine birds. It consists of three genera and four species, all endemic to Hispaniola, which have been traditionally placed in the families Thraupidae (''Phaenicophilus'') and Parulidae (''Xenoligea'', ''Microl ...

. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study of the Parulidae published in 2010 found that the species formed several major clades that did not align with the traditional genera. This led to a major reorganization of the species within the family to create monophyletic genera. The changes have generally followed the recommendations of the authors of the study except in a few cases where the proposed genera were split to separate basal species from their proposed conspecifics. A large clade that included the 29 species then placed in the genus ''Dendroica'', also included four species of ''Parula'', one of the three species of ''Wilsonia'' and the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genera ''Catharopeza'' and ''

''. All members of the clade apart from the basal ''Catharopeza'' were placed in the expanded genus ''Setophaga'' Swainson, 1827, which under the rules of the

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted Convention (norm), convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific name, scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the I ...

, had priority over ''Dendroica''

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

, 1842, ''Wilsonia'' Bonaparte, 1838, and ''Parula'' Bonaparte, 1838. The species that had traditionally been placed in ''

'' formed two clades. One group retains the genus name as it includes the golden-crowned warbler, the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

for the genus. The other larger group, now with 18 species, is placed in the resurrected genus ''

Myiothlypis ''Myiothlypis'' is a genus of New World warblers, best represented in Central America, Central and South America. This is one of only two warbler genera that are well represented in the latter continent. All of these species were formerly placed ...

Cabanis Cabanis is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard Cabanis (born 1950), French ice hockey player * George Cabanis (1815–1892), American politician * James Cabanis (1838–1920), American politician, son of George Cabanis *Jea ...

, 1850, as it contains the type species, the black-crested warbler. The genus '' Myioborus'' containing the whitestarts remained unchanged after the reorganization but six genera were no longer used: ''Dendroica'', ''Ergaticus'', ''Euthlypis'', ''Parula'', ''Wilsonia'' and ''Phaeothlypis''.

Extant Genera

The family Parulidae now contains 120 species divided into 18 genera.

Former species

Some species that were previously placed in the Parulidae have been moved to other families: *

Olive warbler The olive warbler (''Peucedramus taeniatus'') is a small passerine bird. It is the only member of the genus ''Peucedramus'' and the family Peucedramidae. This species breeds from southern Arizona and New Mexico, USA, south through Mexico to Nica ...

(''Peucedramus taeniatus'') – now in own family Peucedramidae *

Yellow-breasted chat The yellow-breasted chat (''Icteria virens'') is a large songbird found in America, and is the only member of the family Icteriidae. It was once a member of the New World warbler family Parulidae, but in 2017, the American Ornithological Socie ...

(''Icteria virens'') – now in own family Icteriidae * Three species in the genus ''

Granatellus ''Granatellus'' is a genus of bird previously placed in the family Parulidae, although biochemical evidence suggests it belongs in Cardinalidae,Klicka, J., K. Burns, AND G. M. Spellman. 2007. ''Defining a monophyletic Cardinalini: A molecular pe ...

'' – now in the family Cardinalidae ** Red-breasted chat (''Granatellus venustus'') ** Grey-throated chat (''Granatellus sallaei'') ** Rose-breasted chat (''Granatellus pelzelni'') * Wrenthrush (''Zeledonia coronata'') – now in own family Zeledoniidae * Two species endemic to

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...

– now in family Phaenicophilidae ** Green-tailed warbler (''Microligea palustris'') **

White-winged warbler The white-winged warbler (''Xenoligea montana''), also called the white-winged ground-warbler or Hispaniolan highland-tanager, is a Vulnerable species of bird of the family Phaenicophilidae, the Hispaniolan tanagers. It is endemic to the islan ...

(''Xenoligea montana'') * Two species endemic to Cuba in the genus '' Teretistris'' – now in own family Teretistridae ** Yellow-headed warbler (''Teretistris fernandinae'') ** Oriente warbler (''Teretistris fornsi'')

Description

All the warblers are fairly small. The smallest species is

Lucy's warbler Lucy's warbler (''Leiothlypis luciae'') is a small New World warbler found in North America. This species ranges includes southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is one of only two warblers to nest in cavities. Description Lucy's ...

(''Oreothlypis luciae''), with a weight of around 6.5 g (0.23 oz) and an average length of . The '' Parkesia'' waterthrushes, the ovenbird, the russet-crowned warbler, and Semper's warbler, all of which can exceed and 21 g (0.74 oz), may be considered the largest. The migratory species tend to lay larger clutches of eggs, typically up to six, since the hazards of their journeys mean that many individuals will have only one chance to breed. In contrast, the laying of two eggs is typical for many tropical species, since the chicks can be provided with better care, and the adults are likely to have further opportunities for reproduction. Many migratory species, particularly those which breed further north, have distinctive male plumage at least in the breeding season, since males need to reclaim territory and advertise for mates each year. This tendency is particularly marked in the large genus ''

'' (formerly ''Dendroica''). In contrast, resident tropical species, which pair for life, show little if any

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

, but exceptions occur. The ''Parkesia'' waterthrushes and ovenbird are strongly migratory, but have identical male and female plumage, whereas the mainly tropical and sedentary

yellowthroat The yellowthroats are New World warblers in the genus ''Geothlypis''. Most members of the group have localised ranges in Mexico and Central America, but the masked yellowthroat has an extensive South American distribution, while the common yell ...

s are dimorphic. The ''

'' chats also show sexual dimorphism, but due to recent genetic work, have been moved into the family

Cardinalidae Cardinalidae (sometimes referred to as "cardinal-grosbeaks" or simply "cardinals") is a family of New World-Endemism, endemic passerine birds that consists of Cardinalis, cardinals, grosbeaks, and Passerina, buntings. It also includes several ot ...

(New World buntings and cardinals). The name warbler is a misnomer for the New World group of warblers established before the family was split from the

in the 1830s. ''The Random House Dictionary'' defines "to warble" as "to sing with trills." Most New World warblers do not warble, but rather "lisp, buzz, hiss, chip, rollick, or zip."

References

External links

New World warblers (Parulidae)
information, including 81 species with videos and 100 with photographs at the Internet Bird Collection

National Geographic News story on seeing 30 warbler species in May 2002 *
Life histories of North American wood warblers, Part 1 (of 2)
' (1963) by A.C. Bent through Dover Publications, Inc. at New York. {{Taxonbar, from=Q739200 * Birds of the Americas