WARBLERS

WARBLERS

  The warblers are small birds with varying body lengths ranging from 8 - 21 camps depending on the species. These birds are purely insectivorous birds feeding on small insects, spiders and their younger ones. They inhabit the foliage of small trees, bushes, grass or reeds. They slip through them stealthily snapping up insects with their thin, sharp bills. Some species of warblers are migratory. They are distributed through out the world. They tend to be in continuous movement and are furtive in their habits. They leave their habitats very rarely or descend on to the ground. Observations and positive identification is therefore very difficult.  Most warblers sing frequently, a few sing better than thrushes and chats. Their singing is very intense during spring.

The warblers breed in dense vegetation often in wet land or grasses close to wetlands.

 Their nest is usually a loose structure, built of dry grass or leaves or both.

The inner cup is deep so that their fledglings do not fall down.

There is usually a covering dome.

 The colour of their eggs varies from dirty white to brick red delicately mottled with red or brown spots.

 The incubation duty is performed by both the parents; or in some species, only the female attends to, the incubation.

The chick usually hatches blind and naked.

They are tended and fed by both the parents.

A number of species of warblers are found in India, of which the most common ones are

Streaked fantail warbler, Ashy wren warbler, Indian wren warbler, and Reed warbler.

The nest is an oblong and spherical of woven grass tacked and bound with cobwebs to the supporting stalks of tall grass. The use of cob webs to secure the nest but also to ensure the ants do not disturb the nests. Ants do not venture in areas where cobwebs are found. The nest has an almost round entrance. The bottom of the nest is sufficiently set deep so that the eggs and hatchlings do not fall down due to swaying and swinging of the grass in strong wind. Since they breed in monsoon Aug – Sep – Oct, the roof protects the eggs and hatchlings from rain. Their eggs are glossy brick red with a dark ring at the broad end. The eggs hatch in about 21 days and the hatchlings are born naked without feathers. They grow feathers due to the care and nurture of both the parents in about a fort night’s time.

  

ASHY   WREN WARBLER  (PriniaSocialis Sykes) in its tail stretched style and its nest with eggs .The bird has a habit of shaking its tail loosely up and down, and keep it partially erect at times. When disturbed it makes a peculiar kit-kit-kit sound. It is still uncertain whether this sound is from the vocal chord of the bird or made by snapping the bill. This bird could be one of the warblers that do not have the habit of singing. The bird has ashy slate colour above and white below. 

Being purely an insectivorous bird, Ashy wren warbler and its cousins have a high degree of economic importance in controlling insect pests. It is worth an attempt to breed them and release them near the field of wheat, Ragi and plants with grassy stalks.