Species Spotlight — Edmonton & Area Land Trust

Meghan Jacklin

Meghan Jacklin

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

The Yellow Warbler is one of the easiest birds to identify within Alberta. The remarkable yellow of their feathers makes them easy to spot when they’re perched at the top of a tree. The distinct whistling sound of a male Yellow Warbler can typically be heard throughout forests and wetlands in Alberta.

Yellow Warbler by Lu Carbyn

Why they Matter to Us

  • Currently, the species is not endangered, but the population is slowly decreasing due to forest habitat loss.

  • They help keep insect populations in control by eating caterpillars and beetles, as well as a variety of other organisms.

  • Their bright color makes them a unique bird in Alberta, and they are a popular sight for bird lovers.

How You Can Help

  • Donate to EALT so we can continue to protect the Yellow Warbler’s habitat!

  • Avoid using pesticides that could harm insect populations.

  • Keep your watershed healthy! Follow all directions when using dangerous chemicals and make sure to dispose of them properly afterwards. This will help keep our wetlands (and the Yellow Warbler) safe.

  • Small migrants like warblers can get caught and stuck in burdock, an invasive plant that produces spiky hooked burrs. Make your yard a safe habitat for warblers by managing invasive weeds like burdock.

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

To identify the Yellow Warbler, look for these distinguishing features:

Photo by Lu Carbyn

  • Small size. The Yellow Warbler is usually 12-13 cm in length with a wingspan of 16-20cm

  • While both sexes are bright yellow, male birds tend to have red streaks on their chest, something not commonly seen on the female birds.

  • The birds have a yellow-green back with solid black eyes.

To identify the Yellow Warbler as it flies by, look for these clues:

  • Male birds sometimes defend their nest by fluttering their wings while in the air

  • Hop along branches or hover briefly while foraging for insects

  • Yellow Warbler migrations takes place at night

  • The Yellow Warbler can take off flying instantly, with their wings going straight back until perpendicular with the body

Identify by Sound

The males have unique whistling sounds for a variety of purposes. Some people say their territorial song sounds like they are saying “sweet sweet sweet, I’m so sweet“. Click here to listen to their songs and calls!

Where to Find

In Alberta, the Yellow Warbler can be seen throughout the province, typically found among the branches of low lying Aspen trees. In winter months the Yellow Warbler can be found in forests as well as marshes. Breeding season is spent in wetlands, as they prefer to breed in habitats with plenty of regrowth.

For the winter (around October to April), these birds migrate south as far as South America!

Social Life

Photo by Betty Fisher

  • They are a migratory species and regularly spend winters in Central America to South America

  • Every year, Yellow Warbler’s form pairs that last through till the end of the breeding season. These pairs are monogamous and can meet again for multiple seasons.

  • Both parents help with the feeding of baby Yellow Warblers, and the male assists the female with the construction of the nest

  • Males attract a female to a potential territory by singing

Food Chain

  • Yellow Warblers eat mainly insects

  • Common predators of the Yellow Warbler nests include small animals such as the red squirrel, weasel, crows and ravens, and others

  • Cup shaped nests are built in small trees or shrubs in order to avoid predation

Fun Facts

  • Yellow Warblers make a hissing sound when defending their habitat.

  • These birds are so tiny, they can be caught in a spider’s web!

Wild mint (Mentha arvensis)

This forb is distinctive and reminds many people of refreshing rejuvenation during hot summer days. A crushed leaf releases a sharp mint smell, and cooking with the leaves of wild mint adds a sharp fresh taste to your food. Keep your eyes open for this strong smelling plant as you walk through moist lowlands or the edges of riparian areas.

mint.jpg

Why they Matter to Us

  • Wild Mint is edible and is a useful foraging food for humans. The compound responsible for it’s distinct smell and taste (Menthol) is used in many products.

  • Because mint can flower throughout the growing season, it is important food for pollinators.

  • Mint leaves can be used as a natural treatment for minor ailments from headaches to anxiety.

  • The Mint plant or its leaves can be used as a natural pesticide or air freshener, and make a nice ground cover in gardens.

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How You Can Help

  • Leave wetlands in their natural state. This will ensure that there is always habitat for Wild Mint to grow in.

  • Plant Wild Mint in your garden using a cutting from a native plant. Be aware that they grow vigorously!

  • Support protected areas such as those conserved by EALT!

  • Avoid the use of pesticides. Some pesticides can reduce the growth of native and beneficial plants and insects.

How to Identify

To identify wild mint, look for these distinguishing features:

mint.jpg

  • All plants in the mint family have square stems, so this is an easy place to start identifying this plant.

  • Wild Mint can reach 1-2 meters in height.

  • The leaves are opposite, and the direction that each pair of leaves face alternates along the stem. The leaves are toothed, and have prominent veins and a hairy underside.

  • To differentiate it from others in this family, it has pale purple flowers cluster on the stem near each pair of leaves. Each flower has 4 petals and one petal is lobed.

  • Finally, to differentiate Wild Mint from other plants in its family, the easiest distinction from other plants in this family is to crush the leaves or stem. Wild mint will smell strongly of mint.

Where to Find

Mint is found across North America in wet or moist areas. Examples of places you could find Wild Mint include lowlands, wetlands, and edges of riparian zones, in areas that get at least some sunlight. It spreads effectively by rhizomes, and may cover a large area of ground where it is established.

Weidemeyers Admiral by Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble

Weidemeyers Admiral by Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble

Food Chain

  • Wild Mint are primary producers and create food through photosynthesis. They require soil full of minerals, water, and sunlight.

  • Wild Mint provides food for certain insects including spider Mites, Aphids, Flea Beetles, some butterflies, as well as slugs and snails. This in turn provides food for other forest creatures

  • Wild Mint also provides an important food source for bees and other pollinators. They collect and use the nectar of the mint flowers to feed their young. Mint can flower throughout summer providing a reliable food source.

Illustration of Persephone, Goddess of the Underworld and wife of Hades. Photo by sandpaper_tiger at flickr.com

Illustration of Persephone, Goddess of the Underworld and wife of Hades. Photo by sandpaper_tiger at flickr.com

Fun Facts

  • There is a Greek myth behind the naming of the mint genus, Mentha. The story goes that Persephone, Hades wife, turned a nymph named Minthe into a mint plant so that Minthe would not be seduced by Hades.

  • Historically Mint has been used by a variety of groups to help with a number of ailments including stomachaches, headaches, digestive issues, flatulence, cramps, and stress.

  • Mint is a deterrent for many animals and insects, including deer, mice and other rodents, mosquitoes, ants, flies, fleas, wasps, hornets, cockroaches, and moths. Either grow a live plant or place crushed leaves where you want to deter insects. Crushed leaves need replacing every few days.

  • Mint is edible and can be used in many foods, such as jelly, as a herb in many dishes, in sauces, teas, and in other drinks. The Mojito is an Cuban alcoholic drink that normally contains mint.

  • Menthol is the compound that gives this plant its characteristic aroma and taste. It is added to many items today including chewing gum, toothpaste, lozenges, and cosmetics.

Aspen Poplar (Populus tremuloides)

Also known as Trembling Aspen or Quaking Aspen

This tree is essential to the Aspen Parkland, the ecoregion where Edmonton is found. Tall, straight, with powdery white bark, you can hardly miss this lovely tree. The trembling aspen gets its name from the unusual flat petiole, or leaf stems, which cause the leaves to flutter, or “quake” in the slightest breeze.

Photo by Roxy Hastings

Photo by Roxy Hastings

Why they Matter to Us

  • Trembling Aspen have a long history of human use. They are an important source of lumber, presently and historically.

  • These trees are representative of the Aspen Parkland Ecoregion, where Edmonton is located.

  • Trembling Aspen provide food for porcupines, beavers, deer, moose, snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, and black bears. They also provide homes for birds including songbirds, woodpeckers, and owls.

  • Trembling Aspen regenerate quickly in response to fire or other damage.

How You Can Help

Snag providing habitat for many creatures

Snag providing habitat for many creatures

  • Leave dead or dying trees standing (rather than knocking them down) in natural areas and green spaces. They provide food and valuable habitat for woodpeckers, songbirds, insects, and mammals.

  • Plant trees. Whether you are in a natural area (with permission) or your backyard.

  • Support protected areas such as those conserved by EALT!

  • Be careful not to start fires. Put out your campfire throughily, and don’t throw cigarette butts on the ground.

  • Don’t hunt carnivores such as wolves. There is a chain of impacts on an ecosystem when top predators are removed. When there are few or no wolves, deer become extremely plentiful, and they can eat all the young aspen shoots, preventing regeneration.

How to Identify

To identify the Aspen Poplar tree, look for these distinguishing features:

Male Pileated Woodpecker by Doris May

Male Pileated Woodpecker by Doris May

  • Aspen trees have white, powdery bark. Aspen is similar to balsam polar, with bark that is often slightly more grey and usually more wrinkled and rough, especially at the base.

  • Aspen tree are most often tall and straight.

  • Aspen leaves are petite and heart shaped.

Where to Find

Aspen is found across North America. It can be found in slightly drier areas (upland) than other tree species, but still needs some moisture. Examples of places you could find Aspen include pasture, uplands, and rolling hills.

aspen - PC - EALT (3).JPG

Food Chain

  • Aspen are primary producers and create food through photosynthesis. They require soil full of minerals, water, and sunlight.

  • Aspen photosynthesize even with their bark. This means that they can provide valuable winter food for porcupine, moose, black bear, beaver, ruffed grouse and rodents. These animals may eat the bark and/or leaves of aspen trees.

  • Aspen also provide food for a wide variety of insects and fungi. Insect larvae and adults may eat the leaves or rotting wood, and fungi may decompose the tree as well. This in turn provides food for other forest creatures, and the rotting tree will eventually provide nutrients to other trees in the forest.

Fun Facts

  • What is a tree? Some scientists think that an aspen grove connected by a root system may be a single organism. Aspen are known for “suckering” or producing new trees from their root system if adult trees are damaged. The roots stay connected, and all trees that are connected, known as a "clone" will grow leaves or lose their leaves all at the same time. If aspen responds in this way, can each tree still be considered a separate organism?

  • The oldest known aspen clone has lived more than 80,000 years on Utah’s Fishlake National Forest.  This clone has lived for 13 times as long as civilization as we know it today!

  • Aspen wood has many uses such as matches (not very flammable), saunas (doesn’t splinter much), and lumber.

  • In the past, aspen has been used as a painkiller. It contains salicylates, which are similar to aspirin. today salicylates are also used to treat acne, warts, dandruff, and ringworm, because the acid form can remove the outer layer of human skin. It can even be used also as a food preservative and as an antiseptic! Like any chemical, it can be harmful in too high a dose.

 

Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)

The Least Flycatcher is a small songbird species known for its hawking behaviour; darting out from a branch to catch insects on the fly. You may not have seen a Least Flycatcher, but you likely have heard one and didn’t know it! This species is widespread in the Edmonton area, for now.

Least Flycatcher fledglings by Betty Fisher

Least Flycatcher fledglings by Betty Fisher

Why they Matter to Us

  • Least Flycatchers eat insects! They eat a variety of insects including midges, ants, flies, butterflies, beetles and even some mosquitoes.

  • They are sensitive to forest disturbance. This means they can be used as in indicator of environmental damage; if they aren't doing well, something is wrong in their environment.

  • In Canada and around the world, insectivorous birds like the Least Flycatcher are in steep decline. From 1970 to 2012, insectivorous bird populations in Canada declined an average of 70%. This is due to pesticide use, reductions in insect numbers, habitat loss, and climate change.

  • The Least Flycatcher is doing fairly well in the Edmonton area, but not as well in other parts of its range. 

How You Can Help

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk

  • Avoid using pesticides in your garden, and especially near water bodies.

  • Support protected areas in the Edmonton region (such as EALT!). You can donate or volunteer your time to help with conservation efforts.

  • Reduce your carbon footprint to reduce impacts of climate change on Least Flycatcher habitat.

  • Small migrants like flycatchers can get caught and stuck in burdock, an invasive plant that produces spiky hooked burrs. Make your yard a safe habitat for flycatchers by managing invasive weeds like burdock.

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

To identify the Least Flycatcher, look for these distinguishing features:

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk.

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk.

  • Small size. The Least Flycatcher varies from 12-14 cm in length, has a wingspan of 20cm, and weighs around only 10g!

  • Olive gray body with a pale underside.

  • Yellowish to white wing bars.

  • Bold white eye ring.

  • Males are slightly bigger than females but the difference would not be noticeable in the wild.

To identify the Least Flycatcher as it flies by, look for these clues:

  • Undulating flight pattern.

  • Hawking behaviour: perching on a branch and darting out to catch insects before returning to perch again.

Identify by Sound

The Least Flycatcher, along with several others in the Empidonax genus, are virtually identical by color. The best way to tell apart these species is by song. You can hear the “Chebek! Chebek!” of the Least Flycatcher echoing through almost any forest in the Edmonton area. They may also make a shrill scream to indicate stress or danger.

  • Click here to listen to the many sounds of a Least Flycatcher.

Where to Find

Least Flycatchers can be found in forests across North America, from Mexico to the boreal forest. They prefer mid successional to mature deciduous forests with some shrubs and some open space in the understory. You could find them in almost any forested area in the Edmonton region.

In the winter, the Least Flycatcher migrates to Central America, so you will only find them in the Edmonton area from May until September.

Social Life

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk

  • They are a migratory species and regularly spend winters in Central America

  • Males attract a female to a potential territory by singing

  • The female builds a nest over the course of 5-7 days

  • Babies are born altricial; helpless with eyes closed

  • They nest in clusters of up to 30 territories. This could provide safety for inner territories as well as extra mating opportunities for all.

Food Chain

  • They eat insects of all sorts, including: midges, ants, flies, butterflies, beetles, and mosquitos.

  • Their eggs can be predated by other birds such as red-winged blackbird, gray catbird, grackle, crows and magpies, and small mammals including red squirrel

  • Small owls like Saw-whet or Pygmy could eat adult Least Flycatchers

Fun Facts

  • It takes the Least Flycatcher 58 days to finish all aspects of breeding, including finding a mate, building a nest, laying eggs, and raising nestlings to independence

  • The oldest known flycatcher was 8 years old when caught during banding in Virginia!

Sources

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

The Tree Swallow is a common sight in central Alberta. This distinctive blue and white Swallow gracefully chases insects above rural agricultural fields. They spend almost all of their time flying and catching insects. Despite how common they are, they are in decline.

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk

Why they Matter to Us

  • Tree Swallows eat mosquitoes and other flying insects.

  • They frequently use nest boxes so we can watch them grow and learn about them.

  • Tree Swallows are in steep decline (49% from 1966 to 2014.) Like other insectivores, this is due to pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change. 

  • Due to their visibility, Tree Swallows act as an indicator of environmental harm.

How You Can Help

Tree Swallow at Nest Box

Tree Swallow at Nest Box

  • Don’t use pesticides in your garden or farm, particularly neonicotinoid pesticides. These wash into natural waterways and reduce insect numbers so the Tree Swallows don’t have as much food to eat.

  • Put up a nest box. Tree Swallows like open areas such as agricultural fields.

  • Support protected areas in the Edmonton region (such as EALT!). You can donate or volunteer your time to help with conservation efforts.

  • Reduce your carbon footprint to reduce impacts of climate change.

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

 To identify the Tree Swallow, look for these distinguishing features:

Tree Swallow by Gerald Romanchuk

Tree Swallow by Gerald Romanchuk

  • Vivid blue back, head, and wings, though these may appear grey in young birds.

  • White underside.

  • Very small and flat bill.

  • Very long wings compared to the rest of their bodies.

  • Small size: Tree Swallows are 12-15 cm in length, up to a whopping 25g in weight, and a wingspan of 30-35 cm.

Identify in Flight

To identify the Tree Swallow as it flies by, look for these clues:

  • Extreme grace and agility while flying. Will dive and perform other acrobatic maneuvers to catch insects.

  • Long wings.

  • White underside and vivid blue upperparts.

Identify by Sound

Tree Swallows have a chattering song that they frequently make while flying and while stationary. Because they often gather in large numbers, they can make quite the racket!

  • Click here to listen to the many sounds of a Tree Swallow.

Where to Find

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You can find Tree Swallows in all parts of North America except the high Arctic. They breed from the tundra to the central United States, and they winter throughout most of Central America.

Despite their name, Tree Swallows prefer open areas like agricultural fields or wetlands. They get their name from their tendency to nest in tree cavities. This protects their young from predation. They like to be near wet or open areas because wetlands produce much of their preferred food.

Social Life

by Gerald Romanchuk

by Gerald Romanchuk

  • The female builds the nest.

  • They may have up to 7 young, and they may nest twice in one season.

  • They are very social and like to breed in large groups.

  • Sometimes they take the same mate year after year.

  • They are migratory. They breed in Canada, spend a couple of months resting up in the central USA, then fly to Central America for the winter.

Food Chain

  • They primarily eat insects that they must catch by flying. This includes a wide variety of insects including: dragonflies, damselflies, flies, mayflies, ants, wasps, beetles, stoneflies, butterflies, and moths.

  • In the nest, their eggs and young may be predated by raccoons, black bears, chipmunks, mink, weasels, deer mice, feral cats, American Kestrels, Common Grackles, American Crows, and Northern Flickers. 

  • Outside the nest, adult Tree Swallows can be predated on by other bird species, including: Sharp-shinned Hawks, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, and Black-billed Magpies.

Fun Facts

  • The oldest known Tree Swallow was 12 yrs when caught during banding in Ontario.

  • Tree Swallows use nest boxes. As forests and dead trees are cut down, these birds lose habitat. You  can put up a nest box to counter this.

  • Tree Swallows are some of the most graceful birds in the air, relying on incredible acrobatics to catch insects while flying.

Sources

 

 

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