Nina Morrow
Blackpoll Warbler (M)
Cool Facts
The song of the Blackpoll Warbler will put your hearing to the test. Most birds sing at a frequency between 1,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz, but the Blackpoll’s song can reach 10,000 Hz, even higher than the song of a Brown Creeper.
Blackpoll Warblers are long-distance athletes and they hold the record for the longest overwater flight for a songbird. During the fall, these half-ounce warblers fly nonstop for up to 3 days, covering on average over 1,800 miles over the Atlantic Ocean to reach their wintering grounds in Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, and northern South America. Such a journey requires that they eat enough before they leave to double their body mass.
Food and endurance is not all it takes for the Blackpoll Warbler to complete its epic journey, they also take advantage of the prevailing winds following cold fronts to give them a boost as they head south.
Blackpoll Warblers fly incredible distances—especially the ones that nest in western Canada, farthest from the wintering grounds. Those birds tend to have longer wings than those nesting in eastern Canada. Longer wings may mean that they can fly faster or more efficiently to reach their distant wintering grounds.
Children often learn their surroundings by exploring, and young Blackpoll Warblers may do the same thing. Researchers found that before young Blackpoll Warblers headed south they spent time exploring the neighborhood perhaps to help them find a territory the following summer.
The oldest recorded Blackpoll Warbler was a male, and at least 8 years, 1 month old, when he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Alaska in 2006. He was banded in the same state in 1999.
Blackpoll Warbler (M)
Cool Facts
The song of the Blackpoll Warbler will put your hearing to the test. Most birds sing at a frequency between 1,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz, but the Blackpoll’s song can reach 10,000 Hz, even higher than the song of a Brown Creeper.
Blackpoll Warblers are long-distance athletes and they hold the record for the longest overwater flight for a songbird. During the fall, these half-ounce warblers fly nonstop for up to 3 days, covering on average over 1,800 miles over the Atlantic Ocean to reach their wintering grounds in Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, and northern South America. Such a journey requires that they eat enough before they leave to double their body mass.
Food and endurance is not all it takes for the Blackpoll Warbler to complete its epic journey, they also take advantage of the prevailing winds following cold fronts to give them a boost as they head south.
Blackpoll Warblers fly incredible distances—especially the ones that nest in western Canada, farthest from the wintering grounds. Those birds tend to have longer wings than those nesting in eastern Canada. Longer wings may mean that they can fly faster or more efficiently to reach their distant wintering grounds.
Children often learn their surroundings by exploring, and young Blackpoll Warblers may do the same thing. Researchers found that before young Blackpoll Warblers headed south they spent time exploring the neighborhood perhaps to help them find a territory the following summer.
The oldest recorded Blackpoll Warbler was a male, and at least 8 years, 1 month old, when he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Alaska in 2006. He was banded in the same state in 1999.