Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) with us in 2022! This year’s theme is “Dim The Lights for Birds at Night”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Migratory Bird of the Day: Swainson’s Warbler
Swainson’s Warbler isn’t known to be one of the brightest or more eye-catching warblers. In fact on first appearances it’s a pretty plain little bird with a brown back, buffy-white chest, rusty cap, and white eyebrow. However plain this bird may be it is still an exciting find for many birders due to their very secretive nature.
Their affinity for swamps and marshes originally earned them the name “Swamp Warbler” when described by Audubon in 1833. He named it after his friend and fellow ornithologist, William Swainson. And while Audubon is credited with the discovery of this warbler, evidence suggests Georgia artist and naturalist, John Abbot, made paintings of the bird as early as 1801.
These swamp warblers are medium-distance migrants. They breed in the Southeastern US and spend winter in the Caribbean, Southeastern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Within the Caribbean, in winter most birders find them in Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands. But, keep an eye out for them during migration in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and occasionally Aruba! In the Caribbean you can find them in many types of forest, including mangroves and montane forests, as long as there is a dense understory for them to hide in.
We still have a lot to learn about their overwintering range, as their skulky nature means they often go undetected. Fortunately BirdsCaribbean’s Landbird Monitoring Team will be deploying 10 motus tags on Swainson’s Warblers in Jamaica to better understand both their migratory routes and overwintering ecology. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Swainson’s Warbler
Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Colouring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #WMBD2022Carib
Listen to the calls of the Swainson’s Warbler
The calls of the Swainson’s Warbler sharp, loud repeated “chips” given by both males and females.
Puzzles of the Day
Click on the images below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Swainson’s Warblers catch insects to eat. They feed in the forest canopy and on the ground. Sometimes, in dry weather, they dig under the leaf litter in search of insects. Imagine you are a Swainson’s Warbler in search of food and find out what bugs there are in your backyard in our fun bug hunt! Follow our instructions and see how many different types of bugs you can find! Perhaps you will spot a butterfly or a bee flitting past? Remember just to look at the bugs and not to touch or collect them. You can check the ones you see off on our list and perhaps take some photos of them?
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this video of a Swainson’s Warbler in the wild! We aren’t likely to hear this little bird singing whilst they are migrating through the Caribbean, but you can enjoy their loud cascading song here. During the breeding season males will sing defending their territory, whilst the females build the nest.