Limnothlypis swainsonii

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea

Familia: Parulidae
Genus: Limnothlypis
Species: Limnothlypis swainsonii
Name

Limnothlypis swainsonii (Audubon, 1834)
Synonymy

Sylvia swainsonii (protonym)

References

The Birds of America 2: pl.198, text.

Vernacular names
čeština: Lesňáček světlebrvý
dansk: Spidsnæbbet Sanger
Deutsch: Swainsonwaldsänger
English: Swainson's Warbler
Esperanto: Limnotlipo
español: Reinita de Swainson
eesti: Redusäälik
suomi: Lymykerttuli
français: Paruline de Swainson
Kreyòl ayisyen: Ti Tchit bèk pwenti
italiano: Parula di Swainson
日本語: チャカブリアメリカムシクイ
Nederlands: Swainsons Zanger
norsk: Brunparula
polski: Lasówka bura
português: Mariquita-de-bico-longo
русский: Большой певун-барсучок
slovenčina: Horárik dlhozobý
svenska: Swainsons skogssångare
中文: 白眉食虫莺

Swainson's warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii) is a small species of New World warbler. It is monotypic, the only member of the genus Limnothlypis. Swainson's warbler was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.
Description
South Padre Island - Texas

Swainson's warblers are a small and rather nondescript songbird, though are fairly large for a New World warbler. Adults grow to 12.5–16 cm (4.9–6.3 in) in length and 11–20.5 g (0.39–0.72 oz) in weight. The wingspan averages 23 cm (9.1 in).[3][4] They are a plain olive-brown above and pale yellow-white below. They have a whitish eyebrow stripe that runs above their eye, and the top of their head is a rusty brown. Unlike most other New World warblers that are mostly dimorphic, there is no difference in appearance between a male or female Swainson's warbler.
Distribution and habitat

Swainson's warblers are uncommon, mostly found in flooded swamplands and canebrakes of the south-eastern United States. More rarely, they will also occur in rhododendron thickets in the southern Appalachian Mountains. They are a migratory species, with part of the population migrating southeastwards to the Greater Antilles (where it overwinters in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica for example[5]) and the other southwestwards to the Yucatán Peninsula region in winter.
Behavior
Breeding

This species begins breeding at about 10 months of age.[6] Pairs form, and stake out and defend a territory for nesting. Nests are fairly large and bulky, constructed from moss, grass, and small leaves situated above ground in a tangle of tall reeds or vines. The female will lay between three and five eggs. The eggs are white and sometimes, but rarely, speckled with brown. Incubation is done by the female only and lasts for about 14 days, after which the eggs will hatch. The young leave the nest about 12 days later. It is not known how long pairs stay together, although once a pair-bond has been established they do not usually mate with other birds at least in the current nesting season. These birds live to as old as eight years.[6]
Taxonomy

No subspecies are recognized. There appears to be some divergence between populations from Arkansas and others of the coastal plains. This does fit a pattern one would expect from genetic drift, but there seem to be no geographical or ecological barriers restricting gene flow. Even during the last ice age, when average temperatures, precipitation and sea levels were lower, there seems to have been ample contiguous habitat. Clearly, some factor restricting gene flow is at work, but it is not presently known what it is. It is possible that the subpopulations conform to the different wintering areas.[7]

In some migrant birds it is known that the initial direction of the migration is set by fairly simple hereditary mechanisms. Offspring of pairs comprising birds of different subpopulations will, in such species, attempt to migrate into an intermediate direction. Such a course would lead a Swainson's warbler deep into the Caribbean where there are no wintering or even stopover points, and the bird would almost certainly perish. More research such as analyzing bird banding data is needed to determine whether this mechanism applies in Swainson's warbler.[7]
References

BirdLife International (2018). "Limnothlypis swainsonii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22721776A132148361. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22721776A132148361.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
"Limnothlypis swainsonii". Avibase.
"Swainson's Warbler". Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0849342585.
Graves, G (1996). "CENSUSING WINTERING POPULATIONS OF SWAINSONS' WARBLERS: SURVEYS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF JAMAICA" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 108: 94–103.
Graves in Winker et al.' 2000

Winker et al. 2000

Winker, K., Graves, G. R. & Braun, M. J. (2000) Genetic differentiation among populations of a migratory songbird: Limnothlypis swainsonii. J. Avian Biol. 31(3): 319–328. doi:10.1034/j.1600-048X.2000.310307.x PDF fulltext