Cummings Wyatt J, Goodman David D L, Layne Craig D, Singer Katherine I, Thomas M Whitney
Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Apr 28;20(4):e0312636. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312636. eCollection 2025.
The Vitelline Warbler (Setophaga vitellina) is an understudied species endemic to a few small islands in the western Caribbean. Little is known beyond its phylogenetic relationship to other New World warblers. We used island-wide surveys and bioacoustic recordings to investigate the distribution, vocalizations, and ecology of S. vitellina across a significant portion of the species' range on Little Cayman Island. We recorded 417 songs from 91 individuals and analyzed the length, frequency, and shape of various song components. We observed and characterized high variation in the composition and character of songs within the Little Cayman population. We also describe the call of the species and use sound files from across the species' range to compare vocalizations between islands. Vitelline Warbler abundance is highest in dry forest and dry scrub habitats, suggesting that these habitats are most important for the species. Elaboration of the vocalizations of understudied species like the Vitelline Warbler has the potential to further our understanding of avian evolution and behavior. As much still remains to be learned from this species, action must be taken to protect its critical habitats, especially dry forests, among other conservation measures.
蛋黄林莺（Setophaga vitellina）是西加勒比地区少数几个小岛屿特有的研究较少的物种。除了它与其他新大陆林莺的系统发育关系外，人们对它知之甚少。我们利用全岛范围的调查和生物声学录音，对小开曼岛上该物种分布范围的很大一部分区域内的蛋黄林莺的分布、鸣叫和生态进行了调查。我们记录了来自91只个体的417首歌曲，并分析了各种歌曲成分的长度、频率和形状。我们观察并描述了小开曼岛种群内歌曲组成和特征的高度变异性。我们还描述了该物种的叫声，并使用来自该物种分布范围各地的声音文件来比较不同岛屿之间的鸣叫。蛋黄林莺在干燥森林和干燥灌丛栖息地最为丰富，这表明这些栖息地对该物种最为重要。对像蛋黄林莺这样研究较少的物种的鸣叫进行详细研究，有可能增进我们对鸟类进化和行为的理解。由于从这个物种身上仍有许多有待了解的地方，必须采取行动保护其关键栖息地，特别是干燥森林，以及其他保护措施。
