Tropical Parula Life History

Habitat

Tropical Parulas are birds of forests and woodlands. Across their extensive range, they occur in riparian forest, mountain oak forest, arid thorn forest, mangroves, tropical evergreen forest, cloud forest, rainforest, second-growth areas, woodland edges, and even gardens.

Food

Tropical Parulas feed mainly on insects—including bees, wasps, flies, and caterpillars—and other small arthropods. They forage primarily in the forest canopy or subcanopy, where they pluck arthropods from leaf bottoms and dead leaf clusters. These warblers also eat berries and fruitlike bodies produced by Cecropia trees.

Nesting

Nest Placement

Nest is built in a tree, often near the end of a branch, 2–13 meters (7–43 feet) off the ground.

Nest Description

Nest is typically created by hollowing out a ball of moss, other epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants), or lichens, resulting in a domed structure. The inside of the nest is lined with animal hairs, plant fibers, or feathers.

Nesting Facts

Behavior

Male Tropical Parulas sing frequently as they move about mostly unseen among the leaves in the forest canopy. This warbler typically forages in pairs, and often joins mixed-species flocks. The female builds the nest and broods nestlings. Both parents feed the young.

Conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature treats Tropical Parula as two species: a widespread Tropical Parula and the Socorro Parula, endemic to Socorro Island, Mexico. IUCN lists Tropical Parula’s conservation status as Least Concern. Despite an apparent population decline, Tropical Parula has an extremely large range and an extremely large population size (estimated at 20 million mature individuals). IUCN lists Socorro Parula as Near Threatened due to a highly restricted range, an unknown population, and an unknown population trend. Partners in Flight rates Tropical Parula a 10 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern.

Credits

BirdLife International. 2020. Setophaga graysoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T103798676A180119340. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T103798676A180119340.en.

BirdLife International. 2020. Setophaga pitiayumi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T103798640A168863963. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T103798640A168863963.en.

Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA.

Regelski, D. J. and R. R. Moldenhauer (2020). Tropical Parula (Setophaga pitiayumi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.tropar.01

Ridgely, R. S., J. A. Gwynne, G. Tudor, and M. Argel (2016). Birds of Brazil: The Atlantic Forest of Southeast Brazil including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O’Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.

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