Songs of the WARBLERS of North America
WARBLERS
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Donald J. Borror
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William W.H. Gunn
Donald J. Borror — William W. H. Gunn
Dr. Donald J. Borror was Professor of Entomology at The Ohio State University until 1977
and was senior author of Introduction to the Study of Insects, currently in its sixth edition. He
recorded birds and other animals in all of the contiguous United States. Housed in the Borror
Laboratory of Bioacoustics at The Ohio State University, the Borror collection of bird song
recordings is the second largest in North America and is one of the largest collections of North
American recordings. Dr. Borror published pioneering analyses of the songs of several groups
of North American birds. He also published nine records of bird sounds (three in collaboration
with Dr. William Gunn) and one of the sounds of insects.
Dr. William W. H. Gunn was one of Canada’s leading ornithologists and naturalists. He was
the first executive director of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. Long concerned with conservation problems, Dr. Gunn was a founding partner in LGL Limited, a Canadian ecological
research firm. He recorded bird and animal sounds in all of North America and in other
parts of the world. He assembled the largest library of natural sound recordings in Canada.
As a consulting biologist, sounds recordist and scriptwriter with the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation’s NATURE OF THINGS, he produced a series of award winning sound tracks,
including “The Arctic Islands,” “The Living Arctic,” “Grouse Country,” and “Island of the
Moon.” Prior to this album, Dr. Gunn published eight other recordings of Natural sounds
and was sound editor for the National Geographic Society’s Guide to North American Bird
Songs. In 1982 Dr. Gunn was awarded the Arthur A. Allen medal by the Cornell Laboratory
of Ornithology for his contributions to Ornithology.
Ontario NaturE
INTRODUCTION (as written in the original LP production in 1985)
This album began four years ago when Drs. Donald Borror and William Gunn decided to
rework and expand their “Songs of Warblers of Eastern North America” in association with
the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. Dr. Gunn asked the Laboratory of Ornithology’s
Library of Natural Sounds to assist in the challenging task of producing the album. The
species sequence for the sixth edition of the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of
North American Birds became available in 1982. We decided to reorder the album to conform
to the new checklist. Several species were added so that all warblers reported north of the
Mexican border would be included. We also decided to include the calls of as many species as
possible. Further, we felt that the exceptional quality of the original field tapes demanded
that the best technical facilities available be used. Creating entirely new master tapes was
necessary.
The result reflects the contributions and effort of many people. In addition to the work of
the authors, special mention should be made of the dedicated efforts of Andrea Priori, David
Wickstrom and Robert Grotke.
During this project, Dr. Gunn began his battle with cancer. Working with him, Andrea
located the examples in the original field tapes and compiled them for processing into the new
master tapes. After assisting in the engineering of these, she edited the final tapes.
David Wickstrom, the project’s supervising audio engineer, is responsible for the
unusually faithful transfer of the master tapes to discs and cassettes. He designed and operates
the Library’s production studio, a facility specifically engineered to meet the demands of avian
sounds.
When this project was begun there was no known way to satisfactorily transfer these extremely
difficult sounds to discs and cassettes. To solve the problems, Robert Grotke of the Groove
Shop and David Wickstrom began a unique collaborative effort. Extensive modifications
were made to an already excellent record cutting facility. Every change was evaluated with
preliminary copies of the warbler master tapes. Without these efforts it would have been
impossible to produce this album.
Dr. William C. Dilger graciously allowed us to use George Sutton’s painting of a Cape May
Warbler on the cover of the album. Dr. Sutton painted this bird when he was 26 years
old. Some years later, during his tenure at Cornell, Dr. Sutton presented the painting to
Dr. Dilger on his 26th birthday. It seems especially appropriate, therefore, that the painting should
appear in a Laboratory of Ornithology publication soon after the 26th anniversary of our
official dedication in May 1957.
Finally, the outstanding cooperation of Dr. Lincoln Fairchild, curator of the collection of the
Borror Bioacoustic Laboratory and his assistant, Sandra Gaunt, did much to help us produce
this album.
Dr. Gunn and his wife Lucy continued to encourage us throughout his illness. Bill gave advice
and counsel nearly to the end of the project. We all regret that his passing on October 15,
1984 prevented him from seeing the result of an endeavor that meant so much to him.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The songs of warblers present great technical challenges to field recordists and to studio
engineers. The high pitch and extremely rapid onset of the sounds push sound recording and
reproducing systems to their limits.
This production contains 280 examples of the songs of 57 species and calls of 46 species and
includes an image of each.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Macaulay Library: The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world’s
largest natural sound and video archive of animal behavior. Its mission is to collect and
preserve recordings of each species behavior and natural history and to make them available for
research, education, conservation, zoos and aquaria, wildlife managers, publishers, the arts, and
both public and commercial media. Since 1930, recordists of all backgrounds have contributed
their recordings, which now number to several hundred thousand in total. A large percentage
of the recordings can be searched and played online. To hear more recordings of warblers or
see videos, visit www.macaulaylibrary.org
Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics: The BLB houses one of the largest collections of
recorded animal sounds in the world. Founded by the late Dr. Donald Borror, Professor of
Entomology and Zoology at The Ohio State University, the collection contains over 36,000
recordings of over 1,500 species of animals. All recordings are available for listening online at
http://blb.biosci.ohio-state.edu
Ontario Nature: (Formerly Federation of Ontario Naturalists) Ontario Nature protects wild
species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. Ontario
Nature is a charitable organization representing more than 30,000 members and supporters
and 140 member groups across Ontario. To learn more about Ontario Nature or to become a
member, visit www.ontarionature.org.
eBird: To help find warblers, visit eBird at www.ebird.org — an online database of bird
observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about
bird distribution and abundance across the Western Hemisphere. From the e-bird home page,
click on the ‘View and Explore’ data tab. Then click on ‘Bar Charts’ and select the state or
county where you live or want to go birding. Finally, click on the link for the species you are
interested in finding.
All About Birds: Check out the free online bird guide to help you identify warblers and
other birds, learn about the life history, listen to the sounds, and watch bird behavior on video.
www.allaboutbirds.org
Membership: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology represents more than 40,000
supporters. Your support furthers the Lab’s mission to protect the earth’s wildlife through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.
Visit
www.birds.cornell.edu/membership to find out how you can join and help conserve the birds
that touch our lives and enrich our planet.
Sound Recording Workshop: Each year the Macaulay Library teaches state-of-the-art
techniques for recording the sounds of wildlife with skilled staff from the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology. Participants learn through daily field recording sessions, coupled with
lectures and demonstrations. If you would like to learn more about recording wildlife, visit
www.macaulaylibrary.org/inside/record/workshops/index.do.
Songs of Warblers of North America
1. Warbler Medley
Olive Warbler
Peucedramus taeniatus
2. Song 1 Arizona, June
3. Song 2 Arizona, June
4. Song 3 Arizona, May
5. Song 4 Arizona, June
6. Song 5 Arizona, June
7. CallsArizona, May
Bachman’s Warbler
Vermivora bachmanii
8. Song 1 South Carolina, May
9. Song 2 Virginia, May
Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora pinus
10. Song 1 Ohio, May
11. Song 2 Ohio, May
12. Song 3 Ontario, May
13. Calls New York, May
Golden-winged Warbler
Vermivora chrysoptera
14. Song 1 Ontario, June
15. Song 2 Ohio, May
16. Song 3 Ontario, June
17. Song 4 Ontario, June
18. Calls West Virginia, May
Tennessee Warbler
Vermivora peregrina
19. Song 1 Ohio, May
20. Song 2 Alberta, May
21. Song 3 Quebec, July
22. Song 4 Ontario, June
23. Song 5 Quebec, June
24. Calls Quebec, July
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
25. Song 1 Ontario, May
26. Song 2 Oregon, June
27. Song 3 Ontario, May
28. Song 4 Oregon, June
29. Song 5 Oregon, June
30. Calls Florida, March
Nashville Warbler
Vermivora ruficapilla
31. Song 1 Maine, July
32. Song 2 Maine, June
33. Song 3 Michigan, May
34. Song 4 Maine, June
35. Song 5 Michigan, May
36. Calls Minnesota, June
Virginia’s Warbler
Vermivora virginiae
37. Song 1 Colorado, June
38. Song 2 Colorado, June
39. Song 3 Colorado, June
40. Song 4 Colorado, June
Colima Warbler
Vermivora crissalis
41. Song 1 Texas, May
42. Song 2 Texas, May
43. Song 3 Texas, May
44. Calls Texas, May
Lucy’s Warbler
Vermivora luciae
45. Song 1 Arizona, June
46. Song 2 Arizona, May
47. Song 3 Arizona, June
48. Song 4 Arizona, June
Northern Parula
Parula americana
49. Song 1 50. Song 2 51. Song 3 52. Song 4 53. Song 5 54. Calls Ohio, June
Florida, May
Maine, July
Maine, June
Maine, July
Florida, March
Tropical Parula
Parula pitiayumi
55. Song 1 Nueva Leone, April
56. Song 2 Nueva Leone, April
57. Song 3 Nueva Leone, April
58. Song 4 Nueva Leone, April
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia
59. Type 1
Song 1 Maine, June
Song 2 Ohio, May
Song 3 Manitoba, June
Song 4 North Dakota, June
Song 5 Manitoba, June
Song 6 Maine, July
60. Type 2
Song 1 Maine, June
Song 2 Maine, June
Song 3 Maine, June
Song 4 Arizona, June
Song 5 Arizona, June
Song 6 Ohio, May
61. Type 3
Song 1 North Dakota, June
Song 2 Ohio, May
Song 3 Arizona, June
Song 4 Ohio, May
Song 5 Maine, June
Song 6 Ohio, May
62. Calls New York, May
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Dendroica pensylvanica
63. Song 1 Maine, June
64. Song 2 Ontario, June
65. Song 3 Maine, June
66. Song 4 New Hampshire, July
67. Song 5 Maine, June
68. Song 6 Maine, June
69. Calls New York, May
Magnolia Warbler
Dendroica magnolia
70. Song 1 Maine, June
71. Song 2 Maine, May
72. Song 3 Alberta, June
73. Song 4 Maine, June
74. Song 5 Alberta, June
75. Song 6 Ohio, May
76. Calls Ontario, June
Cape May Warbler
Dendroica tigrina
77. Song 1 78. Song 2 79. Song 3 80. Song 4 81. Song 5 Ontario, June
Ontario, June
Ohio, May
Ontario, May
Ontario, May
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dendroica caerulescens
82. Song 1 Maine, July
83. Song 2 Ontario, June
84. Song 3 Maine, June
85. Song 4 Ohio, May
86. Song 5 Ohio, May
87. Song 6 Ontario, June
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Myrtle
88. Song 1 Maine, June
89. Song 2 Maine, July
90. Song 3 Maine, July
91. Song 4 Maine, July
92. Calls South Carolina, March
Audubon’s
93. Song 1 Montana, June
94. Song 2 Oregon, July
95. Song 3 Alberta, May
96. Song 4 Arizona, May
97. Calls Washington, July
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Dendroica nigrescens
98. Song 1 Arizona, June
99. Song 2 Arizona, June
100. Song 3 Arizona, June
101. Song 4 Arizona, June
102. Calls California, June
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Dendroica chrysoparia
103. Song 1 Texas, April
104. Song 2 Texas, May
105. Song 3 Texas, May
106. Calls Texas, April
Black-throated Green Warbler
Dendroica virens
107. Song 1 Maine, June
108. Song 2 Maine, June
109. Song 3 Maine, June
110. Song 4 Ontario, June
111. Song 5 Maine, July
112. Calls New York, May
Townsend’s Warbler
Dendroica townsendi
113. Song 1 Montana, June
114. Song 2 Montana, June
115. Song 3 Montana, June
116. Song 4 Montana, June
117. Song 5 British Columbia, May
118. Song 6 British Columbia, June
119. Song 7 British Columbia, June
120. Calls California, May
Hermit Warbler
Dendroica occidentalis
121. Song 1 Oregon, June
122. Song 2 California, June
123. Song 3 California, May
124. Song 4 California, May
125. Calls California, May
Blackburnian Warbler
Dendroica fusca
126. Song 1 Maine, June
127. Song 2 Maine, June
128. Song 3 Alberta, June
129. Song 4 Ontario, June
130. Song 5 Ohio, May
131. Calls Maine, June
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
132. Song 1 Ohio, May
133. Song 2 Florida, April
134. Song 3 Florida, March
135. Song 4 South Carolina, May
136. Song 5 Ohio, May
137. Calls Florida, March
Grace’s Warbler
Dendroica graciae
138. Song 1 Arizona, April
139. Song 2 Arizona, June
140. Song 3 Arizona, June
141. Song 4 Arizona, June
142. Song 5 Arizona, July
143. Calls Arizona, May
Pine Warbler
Dendroica pinus
144. Song 1 145. Song 2 146. Song 3 147. Song 4 148. Song 5 149. Calls Florida, March
Virginia, June
Florida, March
Maine, June
Ohio, June
Florida, February
Kirtland’s Warbler
Dendroica kirtlandii
150. Song 1 Michigan, May
151. Song 2 Michigan, May
152. Song 3 Michigan, May
153. Song 4 Michigan, May
154. Song 5 Michigan, May
155. Calls Michigan, June
Prairie Warbler
Dendroica discolor
156. Song 1 New Hampshire, July
157. Song 2 Ohio, June
158. Song 3 North Carolina, May
159. Song 4 Ohio, May
160. Song 5 Ohio, May
161. Calls Ohio, April
Cerulean Warbler
Dendroica cerulea
177. Song 1 Ohio, May
178. Song 2 Ohio, May
179. Song 3 Ohio, June
180. Song 4 Ohio, May
181. Song 5 Ohio, May
182. Calls New York, May
Prothonotary Warbler
Protonotaria citrea
197. Song 1 South Carolina, May
198. Song 2 Ohio, May
199. Song 3 Ohio, May
200. Song 4 Ohio, May
201. Song 5 Florida, April
202. Calls Ohio, June
Northern Waterthrush
Seiurus noveboracensis
218. Song 1 Ontario, May
219. Song 2 Ontario, June
220. Song 3 Ontario, June
221. Song 4 Ontario, June
222. Song 5 Quebec, June
223. Calls Yukon Territory, July
Palm Warbler
Dendroica palmarum
162. Song 1 Ontario, June
163. Song 2 Ohio, April
164. Song 3 Alberta, May
165. Song 4 Ohio, April
166. Calls Alberta, May
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
183. Song 1 Alberta, June
184. Song 2 Michigan, June
185. Song 3 Maine, June
186. Song 4 Ontario, June
187. Song 5 Ontario, June
188. Calls Tennessee, May
Worm-eating Warbler
Helmitheros vermivorum
203. Song 1 West Virginia, April
204. Song 2 Ohio, May
205. Song 3 Ohio, May
206. Song 4 Ohio, May
207. Calls Ohio, June
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
224. Song 1 Ohio, May
225. Song 2 Ohio, April
226. Song 3 Ohio, May
227. Song 4 Ohio, May
228. Calls New York, April
Swainson’s Warbler
Limnothlypis swainsonii
208. Song 1 West Virginia, May
209. Song 2 West Virginia, May
210. Song 3 West Virginia, May
211. Calls West Virginia, May
Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis formosus
229. Song 1 230. Song 2 231. Song 3 232. Song 4 233. Song 5 234. Song 6 235. Calls Bay-breasted Warbler
Dendroica castanea
167. Song 1 Alberta, June
168. Song 2 Ohio, May
169. Song 3 Ohio, May
170. Song 4 Ontario, June
171. Calls West Virginia, May
Blackpoll Warbler
Dendroica striata
172. Song 1 173. Song 2 174. Song 3 175. Song 4 176. Calls Manitoba, June
Vermont, July
Quebec, June
Quebec, July
Quebec, July
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
189. Song 1 Ohio, May
190. Song 2 Maine, June
191. Song 3 Maine, June
192. Song 4 North Dakota, June
193. Song 5 Maine, June
194. Song 6 Maine, June
195. Song 7 Ohio, May
196. Calls Ohio, May
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
212. Song 1 213. Song 2 214. Song 3 215. Song 4 216. Song 5 217. Calls Ohio, June
Ohio, June
Ohio, April
Ohio, May
Ohio, June
Ohio, June
Ohio, May
Ohio, May
Ohio, May
Ohio, June
Ohio, May
Ohio, May
Ohio, June
Connecticut Warbler
Oporornis agilis
236. Song 1 Ohio, May
237. Song 2 Alberta, June
238. Song 3 Ontario, June
239. Song 4 Ontario, May
240. Song 5 Manitoba, June
Mourning Warbler
Oporornis philadelphia
241. Song 1 Ontario, June
242. Song 2 Vermont, June
243. Song 3 Ohio, May
244. Song 4 Minnesota, July
245. Song 5 Alberta, June
246. Song 6 Vermont, June
247. Calls Ontario, July
MacGillivray’s Warbler
Oporornis tolmiei
248. Song 1 Oregon, June
249. Song 2 Oregon, June
250. Song 3 Oregon, June
251. Song 4 Montana, June
252. Song 5 Oregon, July
253. Calls Arizona, May
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
254. Song 1 North Dakota, June
255. Song 2 Ohio, May
256. Song 3 Ohio, May
257. Song 4 Maine, July
258. Song 5 Maine, June
259. Song 6 New Brunswick, June
260. Calls New York, June
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
Geothlypis poliocephala
261. Song 1 Jalisco, June
262. Song 2 Campeche, March
263. Song 3 El Salvadore, August
Hooded Warbler
Wilsonia citrina
264. Song 1 North Carolina, April
265. Song 2 Ohio, May
266. Song 3 Ohio, May
267. Song 4 Ohio, June
268. Song 5 Florida, April
269. Calls Ohio, May
Wilson’s Warbler
Wilsonia pusilla
270. Song 1 Quebec, July
271. Song 2 Oregon, July
272. Song 3 Alberta, May
273. Song 4 British Columbia, May
274. Song 5 Maine, July
275. Song 6 Oregon, June
Canada Warbler
Wilsonia canadensis
276. Song 1 Ohio, May
277. Song 2 Maine, June
278. Song 3 Maine, June
279. Song 4 Alberta, June
280. Song 5 Maine, June
281. Calls Maine, July
Red-faced Warbler
Cardellina rubrifrons
282. Song 1 Arizona, May
283. Song 2 Arizona, June
284. Song 3 Arizona, May
285. Song 4 Arizona, May
286. Song 5 Arizona, June
Painted Redstart
Myioborus pictus
287. Song 1 Arizona, April
288. Song 2 Arizona, April
289. Song 3 Arizona, May
290. Song 4 Arizona, July
291. Calls Arizona, May
Rufous-capped Warbler
Basileuterus rufifrons
303. Song 1 Nueve Leone, April
304. Song 2 Guerrero, May
305. Song 3 Veracruz, May
306. Song 4 Veracruz, May
307. Calls Guatemala, August
Slate-throated Redstart
Myioborus miniatus
292. Song 1 Guerrero, May
293. Song 2 El Savadore, June
294. Song 3 El Salvadore, May
295. Song 4 El Salvadore, April
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
308. Song 1 Ohio, May
309. Song 2 Arizona, July
310. Song 3 Ohio, May
311. Calls California, June
Fan-tailed Warbler
Euthlypis lachrymosa
296. Song 1 Chiapas, May
297. Song 2 Sonora, May
Golden-crowned Warbler
Basileuterus culicivorus
298. Song 1 Chiapas, April
299. Song 2 Chiapas, April
300. Song 3 El Salvadore, May
301. Song 4 El Salvadore, May
302. Calls El Salvadore, May
CREDITS
Recordists: Arthur A. Allen, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Charles A. Sutherland,
Donald J. Borror, L. Irby Davis, Oliver Hewitt, Peter Paul Kellogg, Randolph S. Little, Robert
Robinson, Robert C. Stein, Stuart Keith, Stephen M. Russell, William R. Fish, William Roe,
Walter A. Thurber, Robert I. Bowman, and William W. H. Gunn
Cover Image: The George M. Sutton painting of a Cape May Warbler was graciously made
available by William C. Dilger.
Digital Images: Bill Dyer, Cameron B. Rognan, Carl Edwards, Christopher Wood, David
McNicholas, David Woodson, Don Rash, Greg Griffith, Greg Lavaty, Herbert Clarke, Isidor
Jeklin, Jerry A. Payne, Larry Arbanas, Michael J. Hopiak, Timothy Barksdale
Digital Production:
Director, The Macaulay Library: Michael S. Webster
Supervising Engineer: William J. McQuay
Studio Engineer: Matthew A. Young
Digital Image Processing: Jason K. van Staveren
Booklet design and layout: Tammy L. Bishop
Production Facilities: The Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The Macaulay Library
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
telephone: 607-254-2404
email: [email protected]
website: www.macaulaylibrary.org
Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
The Ohio State University
1315 Kinnear Road
Columbus, Ohio 43212
telephone: 614-292-2176
email: [email protected]
website: http://blb.biosci.ohio-state.edu
Ontario Nature
Head Office
366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 201
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1R9
telephone: 416-444-8419
email: [email protected]
website: www.ontarionature.org