Birdfinding.info ⇒ Reliably found only at Maricao State Forest, where it is locally common, particularly around the headquarters and Camino Descanso. At El Yunque National Forest, the most accessible area where it has traditionally been found regularly is the Mount Britton Trail.
Elfin Woods Warbler
Setophaga angelae
Endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is a highly localized resident of wet montane forests. Currently known only from Maricao State Forest in the southwest, and El Yunque National Forest in the northeast. Occurs in both cloud forest and adjacent forest types.
The most recent population estimates before Hurricane María were 2,000 in and around Maricao and 700 in and around El Yunque (where its numbers had declined since previous surveys). Post-María, its status at El Yunque is uncertain, but it remains common at Maricao.
Identification
A plump black-and-white warbler with a notably long, thick bill and a prominent broken eyering.
Adults are patterned in black, white, and gray above and below, with a blackish cap and mask punctuated by bold white markings. Both sexes have the same pattern but males are more contrasty black and white, whereas females are grayer.
Elfin Woods Warbler, male. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; March 7, 2017.) © John Anderson
Elfin Woods Warbler. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; January 21, 2015.) © Manuel Seda
Elfin Woods Warbler, male. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; October 5, 2011.) © Gloria Archilla
Elfin Woods Warbler. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; May 17, 2017.) © Benny Diaz
Elfin Woods Warbler, female. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; June 20, 2009.) © Mike Morel
.jpg){kind=link}
Elfin Woods Warbler, male. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; February 20, 2015.) © Dubi Shapiro
Elfin Woods Warbler, male. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; November 24, 2010.) © Michael J. Morel
Elfin Woods Warbler, female. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; November 11, 2007.) © Michael J. Morel
.jpg){kind=link}
Immature is dull olive, darker above and paler below, and usually shows at least a hint of the adult’s facial pattern.
Elfin Woods Warbler, immature. (El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico; February 20, 2015.) © Dubi Shapiro
Elfin Woods Warbler, immature. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; June 7, 2009.) © Michael J. Morel
Elfin Woods Warbler, immature. (Maricao State Forest, Puerto Rico; 2006.) © Carlos Delannoy
Voice. Common calls include loud, wet-sounding chip notes and busy, thin, metallic trills:
Cf. Black-and-white Warbler. Elfin Woods is potentially mistaken for the migratory Black-and-white Warbler, which is common on Puerto Rico from September through March. The two species have similar coloration, but differ in pattern details. Black-and-white lacks Elfin Woods’s distinctive dark helmet and broken white eyering. Both sexes of Black-and-white have striped backs and heads, and broad white eyebrows. Males have black throats and females have white throats, whereas Elfin Woods’s throat is dotted or streaked.
Notes
Monotypic species.
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered.
Discovered in 1969.
References
Arendt, W.J., S.S. Qian, and K.A. Mineard. 2013. Population decline of the Elfin-woods Warbler Setophaga angelae in eastern Puerto Rico. Bird Conservation International 23:136-146. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270913000166.
BirdLife International. 2017. Setophaga angelae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T22721749A118919769. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22721749A118919769.en. (Accessed March 20, 2018.)
Delannoy-Juliá, C.A. 2009. Elfin-woods Warbler (Setophaga angelae), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T.S. Schulenberg, ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.elwwar1.01.
eBird. 2018. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed October 21, 2018.)
Kepler, C.B., and K.C. Parkes. 1972. A new species of warbler (Parulidae) from Puerto Rico. Auk 89: 1–18.
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Southeast Region. Elfin-woods Warbler, Setophaga angelae, https://www.fws.gov/southeast/wildlife/birds/elfin-woods-warbler/