An Excerpt from Jim Conrad's
Naturalist Newsletter of February 18, 2008
issued from Mexico's Southernmost State, CHIAPAS

WOOD-WARBLERS
OVERWINTERING
IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY

By "wood-warblers" I mean members of the Wood-warbler Subfamily, the Parulinae, of the newly enlarged Emberizid Family, the Emberizidae. By "Central Valley" I'm referring to the hot, arid valley or depression slicing all the way through the Chiapas Highlands, the place where I find myself now.

At http://www.backyardnature.net/chiapas/birds-cd.htm these migrant warblers are listed as likely to be found overwintering in the valley:

  • Yellow-rumped Warbler
  • Magnolia Warbler
  • Yellow Warbler
  • Black-throated Green Warbler
  • Common Yellowthroat
  • Worm-eating Warbler
  • Yellow-breasted Chat
  • Black-and-white Warbler
  • Kentucky Warbler
  • MacGillivray's Warbler
  • Northern Parula
  • Ovenbird
  • Louisiana Waterthrush
  • Northern Waterthrush
  • American Redstart
  • Orange-crowned Warbler
  • Tennessee Warbler
  • Nashville Warbler
  • Wilson's Warbler

Of the above species I've spotted about half. Yet other warbler species occur here permanently, or only when they migrate between wintering grounds farther south than Chiapas, to breeding grounds farther north.

I'm mentioning these warblers mainly to whet your appetite. Migration will soon begin so this is a good time start reviewing field marks and birdsong recordings.

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