From Fiddler’s: MAPS June 28

In the Name of Science
Names can be misleading. The data never is.

By Samantha Bean

Great Crested Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing.

Some birds are named to match their appearance. Some are named based on where they are often found. Others are named for reasons we can’t fully explain. And some have a name that has absolutely nothing to do with where the birds live or breed. (Tennessee Warbler comes to mind.) When we hear the name Eastern Towhee, we get a tiny piece of information. But what about the fact that it was once named a spotted towhee?

Scientific names (while often long and difficult to pronounce) actually do a better job of describing a bird in most cases. The Eastern Towhee makes a bit more sense if we called it a red-eyed peep. Which, if you roughly translate the Latin name, is what that name becomes: Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Genus (Pipilo): Derived from Latin, meaning to chirp or peep. Species (erythrophthalmus): Derived from Greek, translates to “red-eyed”.

At our June 28th at Fiddler’s Creek, one bird in particular stood out amid the foray of juvenile and fledgling birds that were seemingly everywhere. This is a small warbler, one we have encountered very often at the station. But its name is a complete miss. They do not prefer prairies, and their scientific name is loosely translated as moth-eater of many colors. But we call them prairie warblers.

We welcomed 3 Prairie Warblers to the banding station that morning. And there is something even more astonishing than the fact that they do not prefer a “prairie” habitat for breeding or for where they spend the winter. These 3 birds were all recaptures to the station. Two of the prairie warblers, 309068718 and 309068724, are second-year birds, banded at Fiddler’s Creek, while the third, band no. 27708327 (also a second-year bird) was banded elsewhere.

The habitat at Fiddler’s Creek is young growth trees with plenty of shrubs and scrubby vegetation. Prairie Warblers build their nests only 3 to 7 feet off the ground, so this preserve is especially well-suited for these birds. Also of note on this morning in June was the absence of field sparrows. Two came to the station; one was new, and one was a recapture. But as the preserve at Fiddler’s Creek is filling in, we might see that just as the field sparrows are moving on, so too might the prairie warblers as the canopy closes in.

Overall, on a warm morning in June, we had 77 birds come through the station, representing 11 different species. 53 of the 77 were gray catbirds! An additional notable recapture was a common yellowthroat originally banded in 2023 as a second-year bird.

A Note From Our Executive Director

June marks a noticeable switch at the research station. We start to see juvenile birds showing up just as often as adults, some of the first signs of breeding success from the birds we’ve been monitoring throughout the season.

One species that can be especially prolific during this time is the Gray Catbird, an easy bird to spot around the station. The other is one of the three common warbler species we encounter breeding at the site. When these birds first fledge and are still in their juvenile plumage, they show distinct wing bars that aren’t present in the adults. This is something we see in a number of warbler species; young birds can have stronger wing bars or markings that disappear as they molt into their next plumage.