Most Pugnacious Parula in Texas

Most Pugnacious Perula in Texas

Northern Parula

June 23, 2009

Yes, our woods are home to the most combative, pugnacious Northern Parula in Brazos County, TX – and maybe the whole world.

Now, please understand that a Northern Parula is a small, handsome warbler that would not hurt anything other than maybe insects.  And, it can put a severe hurt on the leaf-eating worms that it finds, eats, and feeds its babies.  But torturing and eating worms does not qualify our warbler for great honors because all Parulas eat worms – and I have no evidence that our warbler is a more proficient worm-eater than any more than any other Parula.  So, what makes our warbler the most pugnacious?  Let me explain.

Since we first learned to identify this little bird by both it’s song and appearance many years ago, we have spent considerable time every spring searching the canopies of our trees to see the first birds when they arrive after flying across the Rio Grande River from Mexico, Central America or wherever.  It’s a tricky job finding this bird in a tree because when this bird sings, it usually is sedentary so it is difficult to see.  Once we find the singing bird, we shower it with love and affection.  It’s singing soon attracts a mate which we also shower with love and affection.  They build a nest hidden up in the Spanish moss and start to raise a family.  If the crows, Blue jays, Red-shouldered hawks, and Ratsnakes don’t find and eat the babies, young Parulas will appear in our backyard.  The success rate is very low.  Last year we saw a young Parula for the first time in several years.

But something changed this year.  The male Parula that appeared in our backyard was apparently a very jealous fellow who would suffer no competition for the love of his mate.  I named him Don Quixote -- even though he tilts at window panes instead of windmills.  Whenever he found another male Parula in the windows of our home, he attacked with a ferocity and dedication unexpected from such a docile-looking bird.  The sight of that male Parula, which first appeared in his own reflection in the window of our sliding door.  This self reflecion drove that little male to such heights of hatred that he would fly to the attack over and over – sometimes for 10 or 20 minutes with nothing more than short rest breaks.  As his little beak hit the other male in our windows, he produced a combination of slobber and poop that had us washing our windows over and over again.  I was really afraid that the little bird would hurt itself -- but it didn't.

Attack Mode

 

We tried several tactics to dissuade him from these attacks.  We pasted an outline of a dark falcon on the window, but he ignored it.  When I walked up to him during one of his single-minded attacks, I was mostly ignored.  The enemy was at hand and almost nothing would stop his attack.  Like the character Don Quixote (in Cervantes’ classic Spanish tale who jousted against windmills), our little bird was also jousting against an imaginary foe.  We finally learned that if the dark shades behind the glass door were closed, the mirror-like effect was minimized and the attacks reduced.   

Sometimes, the female Parula appeared on our deck to watch the sport.  There is, of course, no way to know whether she was offering encouragement for defending her honor, or whether she just thought he was nuts.

Anyway, after a week or so, it appeared that he was losing interest as the attacks seemed to lessen.  But we were deceived.  He had just changed his attack tactic.  He had found other male birds to attack in the mirrors of our car or the mirrors of our motorhome and he would patrol around the house and peer into the windows for evidence that his competition was hiding there.  Often we would hear a tapping on a window and know that when we found the source of the sound, there would be our onery little Parula “saddled up and in full armor” jousting with the image of his mortal enemy.

Anyway, after he moved to the auto mirrors, I found it necessary to also wash the parula residues every time I wished to drive to town so I could see the traffic behind.  Tiring of all this poop and slobber washing, we learned to place a plastic bag over our mirrors.  It worked.  But one time, while placing a bag over a car mirror, that little bird even attacked my hat while it was still on my head.  Yep, he is one aggressive little bird.  OK, so maybe he is a little stupid, but he certainly is not cowardly.

Don Quixote (the bird) has banged against our car mirrors and windows for well over a month and now appears to have scrambled his brains.  This week he seems to think that he is a hummingbird.  He has been seen frequently at our hummingbird feeder sipping sugar-water.  But, when he starts chasing after female Ruby-throated hummingbirds with some evil sexual intent, then I’m really gonna worry about him.  Anybody know where we can find a certified Parula psychiatrist?

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