PLUM ISLAND — What some birders call the Scarlet Johansson of warblers, a prothonotary warbler visited the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Monday, attracting many birding paparazzi.
The golden yellow bird is very rarely spotted in this area, breeding in lowland wetlands and swamps south of Massachusetts, in eastern and central U.S. and migrating south to Mexico, Central and South America to spend the winter months in mangroves and stream wetlands.
The young female warbler derives its name from the yellow robes historically worn by the prothonotaries, elected clerks of the Court of Common Pleas.
The prothonotaries have many court responsibilities, including filing and recording documents, maintaining court records and collecting fees. The latter may explain the yellow color of their robes signifying the gold they historically handled, according to local birder Bob Groskin.
“Like many of our migratory birds, the prothonotary warblers eat insects and small invertebrates. Our local prothonotary was spending a lot of time eating insects from an apple tree. Unfortunately, the increased use of insecticides in both agriculture and gardening are having significant negative effects on both our bird and insect populations,” Groskin said.