Tsweet-tsweet-tsweet-tsweet-tsweet-tsweet-tsweet!
These sounds are familiar in wooded, tick infested swamps with a creek or standing water. It is a clear, metallic song, and you should be able to observe this beauty, close to eye level once it gets to know you.
The male has a bright yellow head and breast with steel blue wings and black eyes and bill. The species was named after Catholic clergy due to its primarily yellow attire.
A cavity nester, the pair will flit in and out of the old woodpecker hole that they have chosen, which is anywhere from seven to eighteen feet almost directly over the water. When it is nearly May in Oklahoma, one waits with bated breath for this beautiful bird.
A New World Warbler, or wood warbler, the prothontary is an insectivore, and he will build several incomplete nests, while the female opts to build the real nest. The birds favor insects and snails, which is why they are in favor of living by water, which tends to attract both of those food sources. They will also eat seeds and rely on nectar, if necessary.
Male Prothonotary Warbler
Red Slough, 2016
One of two cavity nesting warblers, it is often a victim of Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism.
These birds will use nest boxes, an old rural mailbox placed in or by the water, as well as old Downy Woodpecker cavities, and is often in the same area as other species of concern, namely the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Red-headed Woodpecker. They winter in mangrove swamps and lowland forests of creeks and streams in Central and northern South America.
This photograph was taken after trying to obtain one for a couple of years. The bird was practically two feet away from my knees, perched over standing water in a swamp. It had been calling to me, but due to the darkness, I was unable to see it at first. It patiently waited while I got my shots, then returned to the nest cavity, not far from where I was standing. It was worth the eight ticks to finally get this picture.
Male Prothonotary Warbler
Boomer Creek, 2017
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