BLUUUUEEEE-winggggg

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Blue-winged warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)

Jason Sturner, a regular visitor to Ijams, told me he heard and saw a blue-winged warbler at William Hastie Natural Area near the nature center a couple of days ago.

Their call has been likened to a buzzy rendition of their names: BLUUUUUEEEE-winggggg or a raspy "beeeeeee-buzzzzzzz."

The funny thing about American warblers is that most New World warblers do not warble. They are not particularly good singers but rather produce a vocalization described as a "lisp, buzz, hiss, chip, rollick or zip" or various combinations of those wispy sounds.

Like the blue-wing often they are high-pitched, raspy buzzes. Think of the Northern parula, "buzz-buzzz-buzzzz, zippppppa." Or the black-throated green warbler's strident "zoo-zee-zoo-zoo-zee" or the black-throated blue's upwardly slurred, "beer-beeer-beeeer, beeeeee."

Buzzy. Buzzy. Buzzy.

Truth is, they are not actually warblers in the sense that Old World warblers are, they were misnamed by early American explorers, but the name stuck. (The American robin is not a true robin, it's a thrush. But that moniker stuck as well.) To somewhat correct it, the name of the American group was changed to Wood Warbler because most but not all are found in the woods. They just do not truly warbler.

Although, they may not be the best avian singers, they ARE undeniably beautiful: small, colorful and active to the point of being fidgety.

Seeing one always makes your day.

Thanks, Jason.


- Photo by Wolfgang Wander

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