‘Happy hooded warbler’ arrives like a ray of sunshine
The hooded warbler migrating through nearby coastal woodlots brings a smile to my face. I nicknamed the bird a “happy hooded warbler.”
It’s among more than 30 species of warblers migrating through the coastal woods this month. The birds will stop to feed and rest after a tiring flight across the Gulf of Mexico from winter homes in Latin America. That’s why they’re called neotropical migratory songbirds.
Warblers arrive to breed across the eastern half of North America, mostly in forested or wooded habitats. About 15 species of the birds also breed in East Texas, with some of them, such as the prothonotary warbler, breeding in Harris County’s forested parks.
The hooded warbler is arriving mostly from winter homes in Mexico, especially on the Yucatán Peninsula. It breeds in East Texas, north of Harris County.
It’s a perky, bright-eyed bird with a yellow face and underside that glistens like sunshine. The name comes from its polished black hood extending from the crown, down the hindneck and under the chin. Its back is olive-green.
The bird is irresistibly charming, always showing off its radiant yellow face and flicking its white undertail feathers like a semaphore. The reason for its tail flashing isn’t clear, but it could be a way of spooking up insects.
As is usual among warblers, the female hooded warbler often lacks the bright yellow color of the male. But females have a yellow underside and the outline of a black hood encircling its yellow face.
The birds breed in the moist, bottomland forests of East Texas but are by no means common. Their nesting habitat lies within the dense forest understory among tangles of bushes
and shrubs, making them hard to find.
A drive up to Huntsville State Park from May to early July offers the best chance to see the nesting birds. Look for them in the early morning along the woodland trails behind the Nature Center building. Make a few kissing sounds, and a male might pop up to investigate.
But don’t overdo it. The birds expend a lot of energy to protect their nests and find food for their chicks. They shouldn’t be wasting energy to investigate
our continuous kissing noises.
Meanwhile, watch for the birds this month at coastal bird sanctuaries, where they’re easier to find than on breeding grounds. And once you see a happy hooded warbler, a smile will spread across your face.