The grey-and-gold warbler (''Myiothlypis fraseri'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Parulidae The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Most ...

. It is found in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical dry

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Aspects of the grey-and-gold warbler's breeding biology were recently described by Miller et al. (2007), based on a sample of two nests. It was named after British zoologist and collector

Louis Fraser Louis Fraser (1819 – c. 1883) was a British Zoology, zoologist and collector. In his early years, Fraser was curator of the Museum of the Zoological Society of London. Little is known about Fraser's early life. He was born in 1819 or 1820 and mar ...

. One nest, in the Jorupe Reserve (owned and operated by the Fundación Jocotoco) of southwest

, contained two well-feathered nestlings when discovered by the authors. The adults were observed to feed the nestlings one after the other, in quick succession. The nest, a domed cup with a side entrance, was built into the side of a steep ravine and tucked under a liana such that the slope of the hill and the top of the nest were even. The young, when they fledged from the nest, flew successfully from the rim of the cup and out of view. The second nest was found by the authors in the Tumbes Reserved Zone, northwest

. When discovered, it contained four creamy white eggs with pinkish-orange and red-brown speckles concentrated at the larger ends. Like the first nest, this second was built into a steep slope and, in this case, embedded in a natural depression at the base of a

Chrysophyllum ''Chrysophyllum'' is a group of trees in the Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. The genus is native to tropical regions throughout the world, with the greatest number of species in northern South America. One species, '' C. oli ...

tree. After the young fledged, the first nest was collected and carefully dissected into its component parts. The nest was composed of two, distinct linings placed within the body of the nest. The lower portion of the body was tightly woven and readily distinguished from the loosely interwoven dome. Materials used included: dry grass; dark, flexible fibers; pale fibers; and skeletonized leaves.

References

* Miller, E.T., H.F. Greeney, K. Zyskowski, & R.A. Gelis. 2007. First description of the nest and eggs of the Gray-and-gold Warbler (Basileuterus fraseri). Ornitologia Neotropical 18:617-622. {{Taxonbar, from=Q27075993 grey-and-gold warbler Birds of Ecuador Birds of Peru Birds of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena grey-and-gold warbler grey-and-gold warbler Taxonomy articles created by Polbot