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Field
Guide IDs: BREEDING:
Dense veg along
watercourses and coasts, marshes, and, mostly in n
and e, forest edge, clearings, bogs, gardens. 2 or
3 broods, occ 4. DISPLAYS:
Courting male
chases female, flutters wings, often sailing and
singing; flies among perches with neck
outstretched, head and tail held high, wings
vibrating. NEST:
Beneath grass tuft,
shrub, brushpile, rarely in cavity; of grass,
forbs, leaves, bark strips, lined with fine
materials. Built in 4-10 days. Occ reused for
second clutch. Later nests often higher. EGGS:
Pale blue to
greenish-white, marked with reddish-browns. 0.8"
(20 mm). DIET:
Includes grass and
forb seeds, some berries. Crustaceans and mollusks
along coast. CONSERVATION:
Winter resident in
many areas, remainder mostly within N.A. Most
frequent cowbird host (dubious honor shared with
Yellow Warbler); occ recognize and attack
cowbird. NOTES:
Most variable N.A.
bird with 31 subspecies. Polygyny occurs 1) when
male dies and mate joins another mated male, and 2)
when females outnumber males. Some pairs stay
together in successive years. Residents stay on or
near territory all year. Female broods. Adult
distraction display: runs about, wings held stiffly
erect, tail depressed. Fledglings often divided,
each tended by only one adult; male takes charge
when young fly well and female begins next clutch.
By 21 - 30 days, young leave nesting
territory. Uncommon resident
in weedy or brushy vegetation near water, as at
Lagunita and in the wetland area south of Campus
Drive between Lomita Drive and Palm Drive. Small
numbers nest in these areas. During the nonbreeding
season, some (possibly migrants) are occasionally
found in brush, scrub, and dense weedy vegetation
away from water. ESSAYS: Vocal
Development;
Vocal
Functions;
Population
Dynamics;
Brood
Parasitism;
Cowbirds;
Polygyny;
Dominance
Hierarchies REFERENCES:
Arcese, 1987; Smith
and Merkt, 1980; Smith et al., 1982. |
