Tropical Parula (Parula pitiayumi)

[order] PASSERIFORMES | [family] Parulidae | [latin] Parula pitiayumi | [UK] Tropical Parula | [FR] Sylvette a joues noires | [DE] Elfen-Waldsanger | [ES] Parula Tropical | [NL] Maskerparulazanger

It is a dull blue above with an olive patch in the middle of the back. The two white wing-bars seem to vary in width between individuals. Below is mostly bright yellow and the crissum is white. The male has a black mask and an ochraceous wash to the chest and throat both of which features are lacking in the female.

Latin America : widespread, also South Texas

It is found in forest borders, light woodland and scrub and it is often seen with mixed tanager flocks mainly in the canopy.

The Tropical Parula nests in clumps of epiphytes in a tree 5-15 meter above ground. It usually lays two eggs in a lined domed nest. Incubation is 12-14 days, mainly by the female. It is a monogamous, solitary nester.

These birds feed on insects, spiders and occasionally berries.

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
The Tropical Parula is distributed in most of Central America and into South America as far south as Uruguay and northern Argentina but is absent from most of the Amazon Basin.

Sedentary throughout range