Birds

Avian Quiz Answer – May 8, 2011

May 11, 2011 by Jory No Comments

This week’s quiz was the most diabolical quiz I have written and it was answered in no time at all.  Congratulations to Sarah T !

[I had a girlfriend named Sarah T. many years ago who was a birder.  Could it be?  No, it couldn’t be.]

BAHAMA YELLOWTHROAT it is!  Sarah T – How did you know?

  1. Yes, it really has a Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bahama-Yellowthroat/135458606486269 And it has no friends.
  2. In the “Warblers” Peterson’s Field Guide, on page 531, it states “… remains identified as those of a Bahama Yellowthroat were found in the stomach of a tiger shark … captured on the night of 11 May 1976 just off Melbourne Beach …”.
  3. The Bahama Yellowthroat is not listed on the “Birds of North America” on the Cornell website. http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species
  4. Florida is where my friend saw the Groove-billed Ani, and it is the state that had the three unsubstantiated sightings (including the shark stomach).

The North American relative (Common Yellowthroat) breeds in every one of the 49 mainland US states and every Canadian province.  And its song is extremely familiar to North American birders everywhere.

As for the extra credit. Sarah T got it again!  The two other birds found in the shark’s stomach are, in fact, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Mourning Dove.

To you in North America, I hope you are enjoying spring migration.  What a spectacle!

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This week, 8 May – 14 May 2011, is Wood-Warbler Week on 10,000 Birds!  Though wood-warblers, the mostly brightly colored birds of the family Parulidae, are only found in the New World we felt that birders the world over would be pleased to see a plethora of posts about these striking and sought after species.  Though we are devoting a whole week to wood-warblers we really are only just barely scratching the surface of possible topics involving this amazing family of birds.

Right now great flocks of wood-warblers are making their way north from the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America to breed across the United States and Canada.  Many other non-migratory species are living their lives across the neotropics, doing their best to survive and pass on their genes. Wood-Warbler Week is a celebration of all wood-warblers and we hope you join us in celebrating these absolutely wonderful birds.  Read about them here but also get out and experience them.  You won’t regret it!

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Written by Jory
Jory's first field guide-identified bird was a Northern Cardinal. This turned out to be his gateway drug into birding. In 2007 Jory became the least accomplished birder to see 300 birds in New York State in one year. He has birded the world over but maintains his birding "beginner mind", of which he is inordinately proud. Just ask him. Jory is the 10,000 Birds Avian Quizmaster, coming up with ever more diabolical ways to stump his legion of devoted fans. He lives with his wife and the possessions of his children just outside of Albany NY.