25 October 2024
This week a migrating blue-headed vireo visiting New York Metropolis determined that noticed lanternflies style fairly good.
Blue-headed Vireo demolishing a lantern fly in Central Park pic.twitter.com/t41vaByIp9
— Brad Balliett (@BalliettBrad) October 22, 2024
If you happen to don’t see the video above, click on right here: pic.twitter.com/t41vaByIp9
Although the present distribution of noticed lanternflies overlaps a part of the blue headed vireo’s breeding vary, a person vireo may by no means have seen a lanternfly earlier than he reached Central Park. This explicit chicken is perhaps taking his first style.
How can a blue-headed vireo be naive about noticed lanternflies? It’s simple if he hatched this yr. Let’s evaluate three maps.
1. This map of noticed lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) distribution reveals there aren’t any lanternflies within the Adirondacks, Vermont, New Hampshire. Nor are they in Canada but.
2. Blue-headed vireos (Vireo solitarius) breeding north of NYC nest in Canada, New England and New York state. The overwhelming majority of hatch yr blue-headed vireos had been born north or outdoors of the lanternfly’s distribution.
3. Have been these naive birds in Central Park this week? This eBird slideshow of blue-headed vireo abundance for the weeks of 18 and 25 October reveals that almost all vireos have left Canada and are shifting quickly out of New York and New England. The chicken in Central Park on 22 October was most likely born outdoors the noticed lanternfly zone.
slideshow of blue-headed vireo abundance from eBird Standing and Tendencies
By now blue-headed vireos have already left southwestern PA and this week they’ll depart from japanese Pennsylvania. Their assist with noticed lanternflies must wait till subsequent yr.
