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Breeding Birds of the Bull Run Mountain

The Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus)

After spending the winter in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, the ovenbird returns to the Bull Run Mountains by the end of April. While the ovenbird is a species of warbler, it looks more like a thrush—olive brown above with black streaks on a white breast. The crown is orange from the bill to the nape, bordered by a brownish-black band on each side. It also has a white eye-ring. Sexes are similar. The song has been described as "teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher", growing louder after it begins.

The ovenbird gets its name from its nest, which looks like a small Dutch oven. The domed nest is built with a side entrance and made of dried grass, leaves, moss and other vegetable matter. The inside is lined with finer materials and hair. Leaves, twigs and grasses cover the nest from above. The nest is built on the ground on the leaf covered floor of open, mature, deciduous and mixed forests. Three to six white eggs with brown markings are laid. The usual number of eggs is five and they hatch in eleven to fourteen days. The female alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs. When the eggs hatch, the male assists the female in feeding the young. Young birds fledge in eight to eleven days after hatching.

Of over 162,000 ovenbirds banded since 1955, less than 300 have been recovered. The oldest known ovenbird was 7 years old, but unfortunately, as with many Neo-tropical migrants, half of all ovenbirds die each year.

Ovenbirds are very sensitive to forest fragmentation which is why the Bull Run Mountains is so important to their survival. When you come to the Bull Run Mountains, keep an eye out for the ovenbird in the deep woods as it walks among the leaves on the forest floor, looking for insects spiders and other invertebrates.