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The red warbler (Cardellina rubra) is a small bird of the New World warbler family, Parulidae. Endemic to the highlands of Mexico north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, it is closely related to the pink-headed warbler of southern Mexico and Guatemala. There are three subspecies, which differ primarily in the shading of their ear patch and in the brightness and tone of their red body plumage. Young birds are pinkish-brown, with a whitish ear patch and two pale wingbars. Breeding typically occurs between February and May. The female lays three or four eggs in a domed nest, which she builds on the ground. Though she alone incubates the eggs, both sexes feed the young and remove fecal sacs from the nest. The young fledge within eleven days of hatching. The red warbler is an insectivore, gleaning primarily in understory shrubs. The species is not threatened, but its numbers are thought to be declining due to habitat destruction. (Full article...)