Parulidae New World Warblers

These warblers of the New World have similar ecologies to Old World birds of the same name. Nowhere else, however, do warblers sport the diversity and stunning beauty of the parulids. Though a good many are tropical residents, almost half are long-distance migrants that breed in North America and spend the winter in the tropics. Recent phylogenetic analyses show that parulids originated from northern migrants rather than from the tropics. The northern migrants are more brightly colored in summer than in the fall, and birdwatchers can struggle to separate the many somberly clad species during fall migratory stopovers. Studies of warblers from the northeastern United States have taught us much about community ecology and about the physiological and ecological implications of small-landbird migration.