#wilsonia citrina

[whats-in-a-sentence]

During the breeding season, male Hooded Warblers establish and defend territories, attracting mates with whom they usually form pair-bonds.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[tenth-sentence]

These males often perform parenting duties typically associated with females in heterosexual pairs.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[oh-dear-so-queer]

Some male Hooded Warblers appear to be exclusively homosexual, pairing only with males; of they divorce a male partner, they re-pair with another male in subsequent breeding seasons.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[that-crazy-scorpio-man]

I finally have a hooded warbler.  I was almost in tears I was so excited.  Even better is that I have better indigo bunting pics, slightly better yellow-billed cuckoo pics and I caught sight (but no pic) of the elusive wood thrush.  Its song is so beautiful.

[wingedjewels]

IMG_1522 Hooded Warbler_female by Ahmad Shah Via Flickr: Long Point Bird Observatory. Ontario, Canada.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Once they have acquired a nestful of eggs, male couples typically divide up the parenting duties: one attends to nest repair, incubation of the eggs, and brooding of the nestlings, while the other feeds his mate and defends the territory.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[tenth-sentence]

Although this division of labor is similar to that in heterosexual pairs – females typically build nests and incubate, males defend territories, and both feed nestlings – there are crucial differences.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[tenth-sentence]

As for eggs, some pairs incubate eggs laid by another species of bird, the Brown-headed Cowbird.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[oh-dear-so-queer]

Among females, plumage transvestism is a regular occurrence, as about 59 percent of females have some degree of malelike black feathers on their head: 40 percent have only a slight amount, 17 percent an intermediate amount, and 2 percent have a nearly complete black hood.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[oh-dear-so-queer]

Some female Hooded Warblers are transvestite, having the same black hood that males do. In fact there is a continuum of transgendered physical appearance in females: some have no black feathers on their head at all, some have an intermediate amount with a black "bib" around the throat, while others are almost indistinguishable from males. In addition, a few females can sing (typically only males in this species are able to sing). Transgendered females usually mate with males and raise young just like nontransgendered females.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[tenth-sentence]

Conversely, his heterosexual pairings involved "obviously" female partners, i.e., nontransvestite or only moderately melanistic individuals.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[whats-in-a-sentence]

If males tended to confuse hooded females with males, they would probably avoid darker birds (including melanistic females) during heterosexual mating interactions (since such birds would more likely be other males), yet this does not appear to be the case.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl