Prothonotary Wablers

Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) are small songbirds with a strange name and a spectacular presence in their swamp homes. They are neotropical migrants that return from their wintering grounds in Central America and northern South America to breed in the lowland forests of eastern North America.

A male Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) on its nesting territory.
Davie County, NC.

Church hierarchy has provided names for a number of bird species like Cardinals and Bishops. The unusual name for this delightful bird also has an ecclesiastical origin. The Prothonotary, the First Notary of the Catholic Church, wore yellow vestments while carrying out his duties.

You usually hear a Prothonotary Warbler on its breeding ground before you see one. The Prothonotary song is a loud and emphatic, SWEET-SWEET-SWEET, that the male uses to mark its territory. Then there is a light in the forest. A singing male flies into view. He is a rich yellow color and he does, as the Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote, “glow with the gold of sunshine”. The warbler’s black eye and ebony beak stand out against the golden feathers of the head and neck.  Its wings and tail are blue-gray.

A Prothonotary Warbler bringing nest material to a tree cavity
made by a Downy Woodpecker.  Rowan County, NC. 

Unlike most warblers that make traditional nests, Prothonotaries nest in tree cavities. They use an old woodpecker hole in a dead tree or branch and line the interior of the cavity with twigs, leaves and moss. Prothonotary Warblers will also raise families in nest boxes. They lay 4-6 eggs and in many areas, Prothonotaries can produce two broods per year. Their nest are vulnerable to raccoons, snakes and to Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater), a nest parasite.

A Prothonotary Warbler peeking out of its cavity nest.
Rowan County, NC.

A Prothonotary Warbler entering a nest box. Mecklenburg County, NC.
Photo courtesy of Christine McCluskey.

Prothonotary Warblers feed on insects and other invertebrates. One day I saw a Prothonotary catch several dragonflies as they emerged from the old nymph exoskeleton and crawl up on a stick to complete the transformation to the adult stage. After the bird flew off, I found a pile of wings the warbler removed before eating the body of the dragonflies.

As fall comes on, Prothonotary Warblers start to move south. These little birds make long distance flights over water. Some fly right across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan while others hop the islands of the West Indies to South America. Prothonotaries are often found in mangrove forests on their wintering grounds and join in mixed flocks of other small birds for mutual protection.

Prothonotary Warbler.  Rowan County, NC.

The population of Prothonotary Warblers has decreased significantly with more than a 40% decline since the 1960s. This mirrors a similar decrease in numbers experienced by other warblers. One of the factors in this decline is the loss of mangrove swamps in their tropical winter homes. There is some good news. Individuals and conservation groups are putting out Prothonotary Warbler nest boxes.  This  effort has resulted in local population increases in suitable habitat.

Each spring I look forward to the return of Prothonotary Warblers to the swamps in my area.  These golden creatures with their bold songs brighten even the dimmest of days.