Anika Shiroor; 8th Grade, Dublin, Ca.
“When as if by a call from above it is stirred, We hear the surge of its spiraling trill. And a
misting of blue that seeps from its soul, It is the last of a kind, and unbowed”(Francis Stella). This
poem is describing the luxurious Cerulean Warbler with its spiraling trill and the misting blue is of its
bluish color. From inspiring poets to being a symbol of beauty, freedom and spiritual growth,
Cerulean Warbler is one of America’s favorite songbirds.
Cerulean Warblers are found in the Americas. They usually breed in thick forests or in mountains like
the Appalachian Mountains and the northern Andes where they usually make their nests. When they
migrate, these birds like tropical forests or brush. During the winter they rest in the forests and
mountains. The male Cerulean Warbler has a cerulean neck with the same color down its sides.
Females are a similar but more dusky green color mixed with the cerulean. According to nps.gov,
“The Cerulean Warbler is important to the ecosystem because they eat insects which can be
considered as forest pests. By the removal of some forest pests like the cankerworm, caterpillars
and moth species”. Their diet mainly consists of insects found in their habitat. The population of
Cerulean Warblers has actually declined, “by an estimated 1.84% per year between 1966 and 2019
(amounting to a cumulative decline of 63% over that period), according to the North American
Breeding Bird Survey” allaboutbirds.org claims.
These species represent a lot of things that are important to the human growth of having a better
mindset. Cerulean Warblers, and Warblers in general, symbolize a deep meaning for peace,
optimism, and the cycles of life, inspiring an appreciation for the better part of life. A warbler is
someone who warbles. A warble is singing softly while changing notes such as a trill or tweet. Most
of the time this word identifies or relates to a bird therefore giving the name warbler. The first part of
the name comes from its beautiful tealish coat. Apart from its spiritual importance it also has a
physical importance. Because of their diet they actually also manage to keep their forest clean. This
bird actually gets rid of forest pests and doesnt let them overpopulate. This is important to the
ecosystem because if those insects did overpopulate they would cause a decline in other species.
It was easy to choose this bird for my art submission since the bird’s natural colors are fantastic. I
have used acrylic for the flowers because I believe that they were also an important part of the
piece.Since I am a beginner in watercolors, especially applying them in small areas, I have used it to
practice the coloring and brush techniques. Through applying and controlling water usage in the
background, I learnt how to remove water spots efficiently. I believe that the blue contrasted with the
background made the bird stand out more. Since orange is on the opposite side of the color wheel of
blue it worked perfectly. I also fell in love with the original paint scaping of the reference image. This
summarizes why I chose to do this bird and the beauty and the facts behind it.
The Cerulean Warbler symbolizes endurance and patience. The same can be said of art. Unless it
endures hard work with patience, the beauty does not reflect for the world to see. For a little bird that
sings joyous songs, this bird takes on an extremely challenging migration from north to south and
reminds us, to perfect in the same way our own art.
Sources: allaboutbirds.org, nps.gov, massaudubon.org, birdtipper.com
