Red warbler

Red warbler
Cardellina rubra melanauris Sinaloa, Mexico
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Parulidae
Genus:	Cardellina
Species:	C. rubra
Binomial name
Cardellina rubra (Swainson, 1827)
Range of the red warbler Blue = ssp. melanauris green = ssp. rubra brown = ssp. rowleyi
Synonyms
Setophaga ruber Swainson, 1827[2] Sylvia miniata Lafresnaye, 1836[3] Parus leucotis Giraud, 1841[3] Basileuterus ruber Cabanis, 1850[3] Ergaticus ruber Sclater and Salvin, 1873[3]

The red warbler (Cardellina rubra) is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family Parulidae endemic to the highlands of Mexico, north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is closely related to, and forms a superspecies with, the pink-headed warbler of southern Mexico and Guatemala. There are three subspecies, found in disjunct populations, which differ in the color of their ear patch and in the brightness and tone of their body plumage. The adult is bright red, with a white or gray ear patch, depending on the subspecies; young birds are pinkish-brown, with a whitish ear patch and two pale wingbars.

Breeding typically occurs between February and May. The female lays three or four eggs in a domed nest, which she builds on the ground. Though she alone incubates the eggs, both sexes feed the young and remove fecal sacs from the nest. The young fledge within 10–11 days of hatching. The red warbler is an insectivore, gleaning primarily in understory shrubs. Although this bird is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), its numbers are thought to be declining due to habitat destruction.