Date: 9/15/25 7:48 am From: Ron Rovansek <rrovansek...> Subject: Re: Warblers drinking nectar
Scott,
I have always thought the transformation of eastern kingbirds, named for being pugnacious and territorial, into flocking fruit eaters is among the most amazing seasonal changes in bird behavior (although if we spent time among nesting shorebirds and waterfowl we would probably see similarly amazing transformations). Do you know when or where kingbirds switch to fruit? I haven’t noticed them eating fruit in PA even during migration.
Ron Rovansek
Centre County
On Sep 15, 2025, at 6:59 AM, SCOTT WEIDENSAUL <000001343b2dd726-dmarc-request...> wrote:
I suspect we find the notion of warblers drinking nectar surprising because we have a skewed, temperate-zone bias about what warblers are “supposed” to eat.
Cape Mays are a great example — they may be insectivorous in summer, but they depend so heavily on nectar and fruit on their Caribbean non-breeding grounds that their tongues have evolved to more efficiently lap liquid, being somewhat tubular and slightly fringed. I’ve seen Cape Mays defending patches of flowers on blossoming mango trees in Jamaica, chasing away red-billed streamertail hummingbirds. And while not warblers, eastern kingbirds undergo a remarkable Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation in diet and behavior, switching from highly territorial obligate insectivores in North America to highly gregarious fruit-eaters in Amazonia, flocking together by the thousands.
Scott Weidensaul
Milton, NH (formerly Schuylkill Co.)
On Sep 15, 2025, at 9:12 AM, Michael Fialkovich <0000012b4af48ab0-dmarc-request...> wrote:
Interesting. I've seen Cape May warblers in spring dipping their bills into Black Willow flowers during migration to extract the nectar. I've also seen Tennessee Warblers (and have a photo of one) sipping nectar from flowers in Costa Rica.
I also saw a Black-throated Blue Warbler once at Presque Isle visiting sapsucker wells to sip the sap.
Mike Fialkovich
Pittsburgh Area, Allegheny County
On Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 04:12:52 PM EDT, Franklin Haas <fhaasbirds...> wrote:
Two years ago I had 2 Black-throated Blue Warblers drinking the nectar out
of my Cuphea (Mexican Cigar Plants). Just now, I had a Tennessee Warbler
doing the same.
Frank Haas
Wisdom begins with putting the right name to a thing.
