Holarctic bridge

At the end of April – May, the migration of small songbirds, which described as “American Warblers”, begins in Ontario. Taxonomists distinguish warblers of the Old and New World, placing American species in the family Parulidae. New World wood-warblers are small passerines that are also mostly insectivorous. During migration and at breeding sites, they vigorously examine trees and shrubs, skillfully extracting insects and arachnids from foliage and inflorescences, from the bark of trees and shrubs, and from other hidden places.

Welcome to the next issue of Positive News. Let you spread it among your friends and co-fighters in your countries and around the Earth. Please, send me the addresses of your friends and colleagues to be included in the list. I will be glad to receive and publish your positive news from the fields and offices. If you know sites or mailing lists where I can find positive news for our digestы, please send me their addresses. Sviatoslav Zabelin, SEU coordinator

In the spring, noticeable small birds appear on forest paths in the Greenbelt of Ottawa, which often stay on the ground among the grass, collecting seeds of cereals and small weeds. Their modest brownish camouflaged coloration resembles sparrows. But they are not relatives of real sparrow. They, together with other American sparrows, were classified into a new family, which is called the Passerellidae or New World Sparrows. Five representatives of this vast family belong to the genus Zonotrichia or American sparrows. Four of five species are North American dwellers and one – the rufous-collared sparrow – inhabits highlands in South America.