British Virgin Islands Post issued the birdlife stamp series to celebrate unique Caribbean Treasures on year 2004. The stamp set comprised of 10 (ten) single stamps feature the Warbler birds of Caribbean.
The Black-and-white Warbler is perhaps the easiest warbler to identify with its distinctive nuthatch-like feeding strategy and contrasting black and white plumage.This species is 13 cm long and weighs 11 g. The summer male Black-and-white Warbler is boldly streaked in black and white, and the bird has been described as a flying humbug. There are two white wing bars. Female and juvenile plumages are similar, but duller and less streaked.
The breeding habitat is broadleaved or mixed woodland, preferably in wetter areas. Black-and-white Warblers nest on the ground, laying 4-5 eggs in a cup nest.This species is migratory, wintering in Florida, Central America and the West Indies down to Peru. This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe, mainly to Ireland and Great Britain.
These birds feed on insects and spiders, and unlike other warblers, Black-and-white Warblers forage like a nuthatch, moving up and down tree trunks and along branches. The song is a high see wee-see wee-see wee-see wee-see wee-see, and the call is a hard tick.
10c Prairie Warbler ( Dendroica discolor )
These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive upperparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot below it. These birds have black legs, long tails, pale wing bars, and thin pointed bills. Coloring is duller in female and immatures.
Their breeding habitats are brushy areas and forest edges in eastern North America. The Prairie Warbler's nests are open cups, which are usually placed in a low area of a tree or shrub.
These birds are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range. Other birds migrate to northeastern Mexico and islands in the Caribbean.Prairie Warblers forage actively on tree branches, and sometimes fly around with the purpose of catching insects, which are the main food source of these birds.
These birds wag their tail feathers frequently. The numbers of these birds are declining due to habitat loss; this species also suffers from nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird.
