woodwarblerquiz

"The Dirty Dozen: A Wood Warbler Trivia Quiz."

A little more than a month ago, I requested critiques of the two latest wood-
warbler books, one by Jon Curson, the other by Jon Dunn and Kimball Garrett. I
was planning to use the info in a discussion I was preparing for the Delaware
Valley Ornithological Club. (It went quite well, thank you.) During my research, I found so much fascinating material. At the time of my last posting, I was toying with the idea of a quiz and said I might post it here after the talk. What follows, then, is what I have dubbed:
"The Dirty Dozen: A Wood Warbler Trivia Quiz."

1. Guess the correct English names for the species, which also have been known
by these alternate names.
a. Bog Blackthroat
b. Autumnal Warbler
c. Nightwalker or Wood Wagtail
d. Bay-cheeked Warbler
e. Spotted Warbler
f. Quebec Warbler
g. Yellow Tip-up or Wagtail Warbler
h. Birch Warbler
2. Only one species of Dendroica in North America is not dimorphic — i.e., its plumage is the same in male and female, as well as immature birds (although there are seasonal changes). What is the species?
3. What is the English translation of Helmitheros vermivorus?
4. Three species of North American wood warblers share the honor of being the earliest to receive Latin names by Linnaeus. Which three, and what year?
5. Which North American warbler was the last to be named, and what year?
6. What was the last warbler discovered in the Americas, and what year?
7. Which species may be relegated to a “sister group” outside the warbler family, based on DNA-DNA hybridization?
8. Certain warbler species have prominent rictal bristles, which are:
    a. specialized feathers found on nectar-loving birds that are used like a
bottlebrush when feeding on certain flowers.
    b. stiff hairlike feathers found below the vent, frequently used by birds
to direct fecal matter away from the nest.
    c. stiff hairlike feathers around the gape of the mouth, frequently found
in birds that catch flying insects.
9. Among the 25 species of warblers depicted on one color plate in the first edition (1941) of Roger Tory Peterson’s "A Field Guide to Western Birds" are the Pileolated Warbler, Sennett’s Warbler and the Calaveras Warbler. How are they known today?
10. Only two species of wood warblers are cavity nesters. Name both.
11. What significant ornithological event occurred along the Potomac River near Washington in the spring of 1955?
12. Which subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler would one find in Anchorage?

Sandy Sherman
Collingdale, PA
paavocet@aol.com

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