© 2004 James Turanchik....Science Art-Birds

Title: Life On The Water
Species: Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)
Artist: James Turanchik (for further information, click on the artist's name)
Image size: 11.5" x 24.5"
Media: watercolor on paper
Date: 2004
Location: artist's collection

The artist notes: "Prothonotary Warblers belong to the highly migratory family of neotropical songbirds known as North American wood warblers. The Prothonotary is
unique in its taxonomic classification in that it is the sole member of its genus. These birds absolutely depend on wetlands and swamp forests for their survival, as well as the availability of tree cavities to nest in--usually old woodpecker holes in half-submerged stumps."

"Every spring I visit a nearby swamp to observe Prothonotary Warblers as they forage about snags and branches, just inches above the water. It's a sight that never fails to delight. One also comes to appreciate the variables that are at work in an ecosystem. For the Prothonotary, there needs to be the right combination of flooding, nest hole height, and weather to make for a successful breeding season. A heavy June thunderstorm can quickly raise the river above a low-lying nest, wiping out the young birds inside. And yet the protection against predation such a natural moat affords is clearly worth such risks."

The greatest threat to these birds is thought to be habitat loss. Most birds winter in northern Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama, but in Colombia, for example, 50 to 70 percent of the original mangroves are gone. Worse yet, in the U.S. only 10 percent of original bottomland forest--favored for breeding--remains.