Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Ovenbirds make their living at or near ground level in mature broad leaf or mixed woodlands, searching leaf litter for food, singing their Teacher-Teacher-Teacher songs and building the small domed nests that resemble the Dutch ovens for which we name them.
So unique are these warblers. They are the only members of the genus Seiurus within the family Parulidae. Even their choice of winter homes are in or near large mature forests. Despite the vulnerable location of their earthbound nests, predators have not diminished the population of these birds. Forest fragmentation is perhaps the most serious threat their homelands face.
On the North American mainland, these birds winter in southern Mexico, south to Panama. Another choice for wintering is Florida and south to the islands of the Caribbean. In summer they fly north. While some will stay in the northeastern USA, many will push on into Canada as far as northeastern British Columbia east of the Rockies, ranging east to the Atlantic coast.
Today’s science recognises three subspecies of Ovenbird:
- S. a. aurocapilla breed from northeastern British Columbia east to Canada’s Maritime Provinces and in the mid-western states of the USA from the Dakotas to Oklahoma, and east to the mid-Atlantic coast.
- S. a. cinereus breeds along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Montana, Colorado, and Nebraska.
- S. a. furvior breeds in Newfoundland (Canada).
I once caught glimpses of these elusive birds in 2005 while driving through Canada on my way to Alaska, but I failed to capture any images. It was not until my trip to south Texas in 2020 that I got satisfactory images. My return trip to Texas in 2021 was an even better experience for me. In 2022, I returned to Canada for a second visit in 17 years. The Ovenbirds were more cooperative on this visit, and I enjoyed a singing bird at Lesser Slave Lake.
29 Photos
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I met Ovenbirds on my 2005 Alaska expedition, but those were too elusive for my camera. These birds were only slightly more cooperative. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 9:40 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/2000 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D500090-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I met Ovenbirds on my 2005 Alaska expedition, but those were too elusive for my camera. These birds were only slightly more cooperative. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 14:43 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/640 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D500630-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I met Ovenbirds on my 2005 Alaska expedition, but those were too elusive for my camera. These birds were only slightly more cooperative. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 14:43 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/800 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D500638-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Like the Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbirds spend most of their foraging time on the ground. My second full day on South Padre Island, Texas was less birdy than my first day, but still I met some great birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:02 10:23 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D502202-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Like the Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbirds spend most of their foraging time on the ground. My second full day on South Padre Island, Texas was less birdy than my first day, but still I met some great birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:02 10:23 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D502198-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean host Ovenbirds in winter, but when spring comes, they migrate to the northern USA and southern and central Canada. With spring migration on South Padre Island (Texas) picking up, there’s no other place I’d rather be in April. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:02 10:59 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D5X9756-SPI_ConventionCentre |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Often shy and secretive, this bird proceeded to entertain those of us who attended the show at the Convention Centre. April on South Padre Island provides me with close encounters like no other place I’ve ever visited. By most experienced birders here, it will only get better in the coming weeks. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:04 11:16 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D5X0854-SPI_ConvCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Often shy and secretive, this bird proceeded to entertain those of us who attended the show at the Convention Centre. April on South Padre Island provides me with close encounters like no other place I’ve ever visited. By most experienced birders here, it will only get better in the coming weeks. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:04 11:24 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D5X0983-SPI_ConvCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Often shy and secretive, this bird proceeded to entertain those of us who attended the show at the Convention Centre. April on South Padre Island provides me with close encounters like no other place I’ve ever visited. By most experienced birders here, it will only get better in the coming weeks. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:04 11:24 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D5X1004-SPI_ConvCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: By mid-April (2021), Ovenbirds had been on South Padre Island for a few weeks. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 14:05 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D5X8040-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Often shy and secretive, this bird entertained those of us who attended the show at the Convention Centre. April on South Padre Island provided me with close encounters like no other place I’ve ever visited. But for most experienced birders here, it would only get better in the coming weeks. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:04 11:24 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Ovenbird_D5X0997-SPI_ConvCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I paid a morning visit to the Boreal Center for Bird Conservation and met a community of birds that eluded me the previous afternoon. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:30 8:24 |
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Location:
Boreal Centre For Bird Conservat |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8504260-BorealBirdCentre.LesserSlaveLake |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I paid a morning visit to the Boreal Center for Bird Conservation and met a community of birds that eluded me the previous afternoon. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:30 8:24 |
|
Location:
Boreal Centre For Bird Conservat |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8504283-BorealBirdCentre.LesserSlaveLake |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I paid a morning visit to the Boreal Center for Bird Conservation and met a community of birds that eluded me the previous afternoon. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:30 8:27 |
|
Location:
Boreal Centre For Bird Conservat |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8504314-BorealBirdCentre.LesserSlaveLake |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I paid a morning visit to the Boreal Center for Bird Conservation and met a community of birds that eluded me the previous afternoon. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:30 8:27 |
|
Location:
Boreal Centre For Bird Conservat |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8504335-BorealBirdCentre.LesserSlaveLake |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Ovenbirds sang their loud ‘Teacher, Teacher’ songs throughout these woodlands. The best location in Fort Nelson to meet birds is Demonstration Forest at the northwest corner of town. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:24 10:08 |
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Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8504065-FortNelson.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Ovenbirds sang their loud ‘Teacher, Teacher’ songs throughout these woodlands. The best location in Fort Nelson to meet birds is Demonstration Forest at the northwest corner of town. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:24 10:08 |
|
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8504080-FortNelson.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I’ve met Ovenbirds on South Padre Island now on both their spring and fall migrations, where they keep low to the ground. But when I met them in Canada this spring on their breeding ground, they sang from perches higher in the mid-canopy. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:06 15:58 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8509255-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I’ve met Ovenbirds on South Padre Island now on both their spring and fall migrations, where they keep low to the ground. But when I met them in Canada this spring on their breeding ground, they sang from perches higher in the mid-canopy. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:06 15:58 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: Ovenbird_8509256-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Before I pulled into Harrisonburg VA, I scouted the region for promising locations to find birds. There were three places that seemed worth visiting. The second was Riven Rock Park, twelve miles up US-33 heading into the Allegheny Mountains. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:19 10:43 |
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Location:
Riven Rock Park |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X9817_RivenRockPark-VA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Before I pulled into Harrisonburg VA, I scouted the region for promising locations to find birds. There were three places that seemed worth visiting. The second was Riven Rock Park, twelve miles up US-33 heading into the Allegheny Mountains. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:19 10:38 |
|
Location:
Riven Rock Park |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X9765_RivenRockPark-VA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
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Description: I boondock camped in Fort Valley, near Strasburg Virginia, and enjoyed the local birds there. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:16 13:15 |
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Location:
Elizabeth Furnace Recreational A |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/10.0, 1/800 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X8415_FortValley-VA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I said goodbye to my friends in Wernersville Pennsylvania, and began my trip south to explore the Appalachians. Only a half hour away, I stopped at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and toured their 6000 acre reserve. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:11 14:11 |
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Location:
Middle Creek Wildlife Management |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X6751_MiddleCreek-WMA_PA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I said goodbye to my friends in Wernersville Pennsylvania, and began my trip south to explore the Appalachians. Only a half hour away, I stopped at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and toured their 6000 acre reserve. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:11 14:10 |
|
Location:
Middle Creek Wildlife Management |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X6683_MiddleCreek-WMA_PA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I said goodbye to my friends in Wernersville Pennsylvania, and began my trip south to explore the Appalachians. Only a half hour away, I stopped at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and toured their 6000 acre reserve. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:11 14:09 |
|
Location:
Middle Creek Wildlife Management |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X6630_MiddleCreek-WMA_PA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I said goodbye to my friends in Wernersville Pennsylvania, and began my trip south to explore the Appalachians. Only a half hour away, I stopped at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and toured their 6000 acre reserve. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:11 14:09 |
|
Location:
Middle Creek Wildlife Management |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X6622_MiddleCreek-WMA_PA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: I said goodbye to my friends in Wernersville Pennsylvania, and began my trip south to explore the Appalachians. Only a half hour away, I stopped at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and toured their 6000 acre reserve. |
Date Taken: 2023:06:11 14:09 |
|
Location:
Middle Creek Wildlife Management |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X6565_MiddleCreek-WMA_PA |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Ovenbirds may sing from high perches when they reach their Canadian breeding grounds, but when they pass through south Texas, they seem to prefer the ground. |
Date Taken: 2024:04:22 17:34 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X3311_SPI-ConventionCentre |
| © 2024 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Ovenbird(Seiurus aurocapilla) |
|
Description: Ovenbirds may sing from high perches when they reach their Canadian breeding grounds, but when they pass through south Texas, they seem to prefer the ground. |
Date Taken: 2024:04:22 16:22 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: Ovenbird_Z9X2489_SPI-ConventionCentre |
| © 2024 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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