[texbirds] Re: Gray-crowned Yellowthroat on Saturday
- From: "John Arvin" <jarvin@xxxxxxxx>
- To: <mbstowe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "texbirds" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 17:06:50 -0500
The Common Yellowthroat-like song that so far as I know *all* the modern
Gray-crowned Yellowthroats in South Texas have sung is a vast mystery to
me. I have recordings of several of these birds, including the individual
that nested with a female Common Yellowthroat at Sabal Palm Sanctuary back
in the early 2000s. I am relieved at least that the present bird is capable
of the Blue Grosbeak-like song that *all* of the Middle American
individuals (probably at least 100) I have ever heard have sung to the
exclusion of any suggestion of Common Yelllowthroat-like notes. All recent
Texas GCYTs have been males (females in this species being only slightly
differentiated by plumage unlike the rather striking differences in plumage
in the sexes of Common Yellowthroats). Assuming that all modern Texas GCYT
have been *pure* genetically then I suppose we must also assume that these
birds have learned the song from singing COYT. Since oscines (songbirds)
are known to learn their song repertoires this seems at least theoretically
possible. What is more troublesome is that some of the modern GCYT have
also called like COYT. The calls of oscines are thought to be inherited,
not learned like the songs. Two or three of the GCYT-appearing birds that I
have seen and recorded have neither called like GCYT nor responded to
playback of GCYT calls that I had recorded from birds in southern
Tamaulipas. I have not seen the present bird at Estero Llano Grande but I
have listened to calls on zeno-canto said to be similar to calls of that
bird and these sounded like normal GCYT calls. So in a sense the current
bird seems intermediate in its vocalizations. Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
seems to be unique among "Mexican vagrants" in apparently shifting its
vocal repertoire to be more like COYT in the absence of females of its own
species.
John C. Arvin
Research Associate
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
103 West Hwy 332
Lake Jackson, TX 77566
jarvin@xxxxxxxx
www.gcbo.org
Austin, Texas
----------------------------------------
From: "Mary Beth Stowe" <mbstowe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2015 11:08 AM
To: "texbirds" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [texbirds] Gray-crowned Yellowthroat on Saturday
Hi, all!
The GCYE is now singing - both its classic bunting-like song and a very
Common Yellowthroat-like song, in the same general area it's been seen for
the last several months at Estero Llano Grande. Parts of the trail are
flooded but if you don't mind getting your feet wet, footing is a lot more
solid just heading straight through the water than trying to negotiate the
mud on either side! Tropical Parula was still being seen (also singing)
behind the headquarters.
Blow-by-blow of the day (including a jaunt to Santa Ana) with pictures is
here:
http://miriameaglemon.com/photo_gallery/2015%20Field%20Trips/March/Estero%20
Llano%20
<http://miriameaglemon.com/photo_gallery/2015%20Field%20Trips/March/Estero%2
0Llano%20&%20Santa%20Ana.html> &%20Santa%20Ana.html
.or here:
http://tinyurl.com/n5rwjyb
Enjoy! MB
Mary Beth Stowe
McAllen, TX
miriameaglemon.com
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