Compiled by Jane Tillman for KXAN

What to watch for in August: A colorful songbird and a graceful kite

Summer has flown by and many species of migratory birds are beginning their southward journeys. That’s hard to believe, given that fall still seems so far away. Migration bears more study, but it is thought to be triggered by several factors. Migration in some species is triggered by changes in day length (photoperiod). Declining food resources, temperature changes and genetic predisposition may play a role too.

Fall migration is more leisurely than spring migration since the birds are not in a competitive race to get the best breeding territories. Some good news for both migrants and resident birds is that the wet conditions that much of Texas experienced this summer should yield plentiful food resources for all concerned. Abundant insects, berries, nuts, seeds and the critters higher up the food chain like lizards will be on the menu.

Yellow Warblers will start showing up soon in Austin’s backyards and greenbelts. They are en-route to Central America and northern South America. This widespread warbler species typically doesn’t breed in Texas. (The uncommon Mangrove Yellow Warbler subspecies is an outlier. It is found year round in mangroves of Cameron County in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.) There are old Yellow Warbler breeding records from the Panhandle, and historically there were very small numbers that bred in the Trans-Pecos, on the Edwards Plateau, and in a few spots in east Texas. This year they were found breeding out by Fort Davis in cottonwoods in two locations, which is exciting news. Yellow Warblers typically use the mid-story and understory for foraging. They like low trees and forest edges, and often are found in wet areas with willows. They are foliage gleaners, searching along slender branches for insects like caterpillars, but also flying out from a perch to reach others like midges and beetles on leaves out of reach.

Yellow Warbler adult males are fairly easy to identify. They have solid yellow bodies, red streaks on their breasts (somewhat paler in the fall), pale eye rings, and completely yellow underparts, including the undertail coverts and tail. (Undertail coverts are feathers that cover the base of the tail.) The yellow tail and yellow undertail coverts are unique to this species of U.S. warblers, applicable to males and females. Adult males have largish pointy black bills, short tails and a compact shape. Adult females lack or have variable amounts of red streaking. If you get a good look you’ll note the pale eye ring around the black eye. Young birds can be challenging to identify or separate from other species, with drab greenish, grayish or brownish coloration, but still should show both the yellow tail and undertail coverts.

Yellow Warblers are vocal, and alert you to their presence. In the spring males sing a beautiful “Sweet sweet sweet I’m so sweet.” In the fall listen for both sexes’ rich, clear chips.

One interesting fact about Yellow Warblers is that unlike many species, they recognize eggs laid in their nests by Brown-headed Cowbirds, and will often build a nest on top of the parasitized one. Then they try again, sacrificing the eggs they have already laid. One observed nest had six layers, a huge energy investment by the warblers.

To the unpracticed eye other species can be confused with the Yellow Warbler. For example, the Wilson’s Warbler is a mostly yellow warbler. The male has a jaunty black cap and the female has the hint of one. These bright birds begin to show up at the end of August. If in doubt, try for a photo to study later.

Mississippi Kites are much easier to see than Yellow Warblers as they drift south en-route to central South America. These Kites are buoyant raptors about 14 inches in length with wingspans of 31-36 inches. Their pointed wings are falcon-like and they have distinctive wedge-shaped tails. Adults appear gray from below, with dark tails varying a bit by sex. Juvenile and first summer birds have banded black-and-white tails and the leading edges of their underwings are mottled rufous. Kites have beautiful descending pe-teew whistled calls that beckon you to look up and spot them.

Barring a few stragglers, by mid-October all the Mississippi Kites in the U.S. from both the Great Plains population and the southeastern U.S. population have moved out of the U.S. Watch for groups of them soaring together, and possibly diving down to the treetops to nab lizards, grasshoppers, dragonflies or other prey. Like vultures they will even swoop down for roadkill. Their effortless flight may inspire you to go fly a kite.

Mississippi Kite Juvenile
COURTESY: Jeff Osborne

How did the Mississippi Kite get its name? A famous Scottish ornithologist named Alexander Wilson first observed the species in Mississippi Territory and described it in 1811, giving it its common name.