Ovenbird

The ovenbird, commonly found In the Caribbean Islands, northern Venezuela, and Florida, along with other places, is a songbird. It is also a migratory species of bird that is named after its oven-type nest.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Parulidae
Genus	Seiurus
Scientific Name	Seiurus aurocapilla

Quick Information

Description	Size:  4.3-6.3 in (10.9-16 cm) Wingspan: 7.5–10.2 in (19.05-25.9 cm) Weight:  0.50-1.02 oz (18.9-28.9 g) Color:  The upperpart is olive brown and the underpart is white but there are black streaks, white rings around the eyes, and the black stripes underneath the cheek, horn-colored beak and legs are pink
Distribution	Central America and eastern Northern America
Habitat	Lowland, mixed and deciduous forests
Sounds & Calls	“churr-tee” “churr-tee”, “chik”, and “siiii”
Lifespan	Around 11 years
Diet	Snails, earthworms, spiders, and other insects
Adaptations	Right at the time of their migration, they gain weight that helps them migrate in a certain way
Predators	Cowbirds, chipmunks, and broad-winged hawks, and barred owls
IUCN Conservation Status	Least Concern

Behavior

• Male ovenbirds are extremely territorial
• The birds are solitary during the winter migration
• They have a certain pattern of hopping, dashing and foraging

Mating and Reproduction

Male and female ovenbirds choose either mixed or deciduous forests for their mating when after a brief courtship, the female bird builds an oven-shaped nest with leaves, bark, stems, and hairs. The location of the nest is 60-70 ft interior from the border of the forest. The female lays 3-6 eggs per brood. Sizing around 0.9 in (each egg) and white in color with some reddish-brown spots. All eggs are incubated for 11-14 days.

Life-cycle

Young hatchlings are born with eyes closed and covered in brown colored down. Both their parents feed them. They young ones take their first flights after 8-11 days of birth.

Interesting Facts

• The famous poet Robert Frost has a poem named after the bird “ The Oven Bird”.
• The well known American poet Robert Bly also used the reference of the bird by mentioning “The Nimble Oven Bird”, in his poem known as “The Slim Fir Seeds”.
• The genus name  Seiurus is a combination of two Greek words like “SEIO” and “Oura”. These two words mean ‘to shake’ and ‘ tail’ respectably. The scientific name Aurocapilla means ‘golden hairs’ in Latin.

References

1. https://bwdmagazine.com/learn/identification/ovenbird/
2. https://abcbirds.org/bird/ovenbird/
3. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ovenbird/lifehistory#
4. https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/ovenbi1/cur/introduction