Tipu - Warbler missing link

Some friends and I noticed that some Tipu Trees sometimes attract large numbers of birds, especially warblers. In Spring migration, one patch has had so many birds, we named it "Tipu Corner". Once we noticed this bird magnet, we started mapping out the Tipu Trees in Long Beach, and quickly found that they are almost everywhere. These non-native ornamental trees from South America lose their leaves late winter through spring. However, not all the trees were losing their leaves, and only some trees were birdy. I'm not much of a plant person, so don't know much about the tree. However, I did discover that birds are not much interested in the tree. They are interested in the insects that are infesting them. I knew warblers are insectivores but never saw the insects, until Saturday when I photographed a Hermit Warbler eating little white things. I did some research and also looked back at my photos of the Black-throated Green Warbler I photographed in Tipu trees in February. Sure enough, there were the same white bits and similar leaf damage. I still hadn’t seen the insects. I went and collected some of the leaves at Tipu Corner on Sunday, this time looking for the insect I had now suspected. Mystery solved. Tipu Psyllids Platycorypha nigrivirga in huge abundance, almost invisible until you look for them. They were found in San Diego in 2008 and have spread. They are associated with Tipu Trees. Perhaps they are not as widespread or as well-known as Redgum Lerp Psyllids Glycaspis brimblecombei associated with Eucalyptus (or "lerpy eucs" as we refer to them). The damage caused by these insects can cause the trees to drop their leaves prematurely. Their numbers surge in spring. This explains why some trees lose their leaves at different times and only some trees have birds, because they are infested. I guess the trick is to look for the trees with damage to find the birds.

• Kim

Tipu Psyllid
https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/tipu_psyllid
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/74461381
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/74341235

Hermit Warbler
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/74334113

Julkaistu huhtikuu 19, 2021 07:36 IP. käyttäjältä kimssight