Prothonotary Warbler
Protonotaria citrea
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyParulidae (New World Warblers)
- GenusProtonotaria (Prothonotary Warblers)
- SpeciesProtonotaria citrea (Prothonotary Warbler)
About the Prothonotary Warbler
The prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea) is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. It is named for its plumage, which resembles the yellow robes once worn by papal clerks (named prothonotaries) in the Roman Catholic Church.
The prothonotary warbler is the only member of the genus Protonotaria and the only eastern warbler that nests in natural or artificial cavities. These warblers often move with quick, jerky, movements and will even crawl upside down on sticks or trees. During the spring they are often seen in wetlands gathering nesting material, or food, for their mate.
The prothonotary warbler was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1779 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in Louisiana. Buffon coined the French name Le figuier protonotaire. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle, which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Prothonotary Warbler in Los Haitises National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Los Haitises National Park
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Cape May Warbler
Setophaga tigrina
Northern Parula
Setophaga americana
Louisiana Waterthrush
Parkesia motacilla
Northern Waterthrush
Parkesia noveboracensis
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Setophaga caerulescens
Palm Warbler
Setophaga palmarum
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.