Endangered Beauty . . . Cerulean Warbler

A bird so dazzling that it's been called a flying piece of the sky. The number of Cerulean Warblers fell by 70 percent from 1966 to 1996. In the Appalachian mountains, long a breeding stronghold, large stands of prime habitat have been lost -- fragmented, heavily logged, converted to agriculture or destroyed.

In 2005, a 540-acre Cerulean Warbler Reserve was created in Colombia, providing a protected habitat for migratory birds from North America as well as local threatened species.



Henry David Thoreau called the Cerulean Warbler's song ethereal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sps_wdUUjlQ

Endangered Beauty . . . Wood Thrush

Wood Thrush populations have seen a continent-wide decline by almost 2% per year from 1966 to 2009 due to forest fragmentation and destruction.

Wood Thrushes will nest in suburban areas but breeding success is reduced by cowbird parasitism and nest predation from jays, crows, raccoons and domestic cats. Tropical deforestation has reduced wintering habitat, although shade-grown coffee provides a welcome winter environment.

The Wood Thrush has a haunting, flute-like song:

http://youtu.be/f-22ZuQyAJ4