BWIAB: Warblers

Magnolia Warbler

Since the big draw to BWAIB is Warblers, let’s do that now.

Most of the branding features Warblers

Various passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as Warblers, even though not all Warblers are closely related to one another. The characteristics they share are: being small, being vocal and eating insects. Many, but not all, have colorful breeding plumage, especially the males. Some Warbler males differ significantly from their species' females and some look alike. In many species, only the males sing.

Chestnut-sided Warbler with a bug; Singing Tennessee Warbler

There are 56 species of Warblers in the US. I saw 24 and photographed 22 at BWIAB. Of the ones I saw in Ohio, I didn't get shots of the Mourning Warbler, a Lifer, and the Orange-crowned Warbler, which I had photographed before.

I am going to include a range map for each Warbler I discuss; the maps, all from Cornell's Ornithology Lab, use the key below.

Let's look ...

American Redstart

Male American Redstart

Despite not having "Warbler" in its name, the American Redstart is one. Its unusual name comes from the French, "red steort," meaning red tail. 

Males, indeed, have a big red patch under the base of the tail

Although perhaps not as common as in the past, the American Redstart appears to be one of the most stable and abundant species of New World AWarbler; its numbers exceed in total the Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler together. 

Female American Redstart

They breed is in North America, spanning southern Canada and the eastern United States. 

Immature American Redstart

They are migratory, wintering in Central America, the West Indies and northern South America. 

A broad range

Bay-breasted Warbler

One of my Lifers was the Bay-breasted Warbler, so named because of its brown-red coloration on the edges of its breast.

The male's breeding plumage is striking

This young one is just getting the coloration

The female is much lighter

The reason I had never seen one is that it is exclusive to the eastern US. But, I saw many at BWIAB, especially at the Magee Marsh Boardwalk.

The Bay-breasted Warbler generally stays to the east

Black-and-white Warbler

Typically one of the earliest spring arrivals among Neotropical migrants, there were still a few Black-and-white Warblers around during BWIAB.

Enjoying a worm

The Black-and-white Warbler creeps along tree trunks and branches like a Nuthatch, probing the bark for insects with its slightly downcurved bill. Although you typically see these birds only in trees, they build their little cup-shaped nests in the leaf litter on the floor of the forest.

They have fairly wide distribution, breeding as far south as southeast Texas

I saw them at multiple locations.

A pose and a hop

The Black Throats

I was fortunate to see and get nice (hard fought for) photos of two special birds with similar names that are not particularly close relatives.

The midnight-blue Black-throated Blue Warbler was a Lifer for me

I had seen a Black-throated Green Warbler before, but got better photos at BWIAB

The Black-throated Blue Warbler's song is a relaxed, buzzy I-am-so-la-zee. Unlike other Warblers that molt into fall plumage, male Black-throated Blue Warblers keep their distinctive black-and-blue plumage year-round. 

This one was hopping quickly in the foliage

The olive-brown females, while not as dramatically marked as the males, have a unique white square on the wing that readily separates them from other female warblers. 

You can barely see the square in the photo

Male and female Black-throated Blue Warblers look so different that they were originally described as two different species.

Black-throated Green Warblers breed from northern boreal forests to southeastern hardwoods and even in cypress swamps. 

Also an eastern bird

They have a distinctive and persistent song. A male Black-throated Green Warbler was observed singing 466 songs in one hour.

The song is transcribed as trees, trees I love trees

Blackburnian Warbler

Although not expected in Colorado, I saw one near home a year earlier

The only North American Warbler with an orange throat, male Blackburnian Warblers are known for their balletic aerial territorial conflicts.

An immature or non-breeding Blackburnian Warbler

Although the Blackburnian Warbler does not associate with other birds while it is nesting, it may bring its fledged young to forage in flocks of Chickadees, Kinglets and Nuthatches.  

A beautiful bird

Blackpoll Warbler

After several failures to photograph skulking Blackpoll Warblers, I spent a long time with one in Side Cut Park along the Maumee River getting lots of nice shots.

In a tree right above us

Blackpoll Warblers weigh less than half an ounce, yet make the longest overwater journey of any songbird.

They fly nearly 1,800 miles nonstop over the Atlantic Ocean 

In the fall, it molts into yellow-green plumage and loses its black cap. Although still numerous, it has lost an estimated 88 percent of its population in the past 40 years.

This one is enjoying an ant

Winged Cousins

Two birds that I just saw fleetingly are both named for the color of their wings.

Male Blue-winged Warblers tend to sing from exposed perches in taller shrubs or trees at the edges of forests, fields and thickets.

The one I photographed (of two I saw) was singing its heart out

The Blue-winged Warbler has benefited from landscape changes over the past 150 years as forest clearcuts and agricultural fields have grown up into the scrubby fields it prefers. 

Blue-winged Warblers forage like Chickadees

It has expanded northward, where it now hybridizes with (and possibly threatens) the much rarer Golden-winged Warbler.

The one Golden-winged Warbler I saw was hiding and made one brief appearance

Canada Warbler

A major target for me was the tricky-to-be-photographed (and hard to find) Canada Warbler. 

It is sometimes called the "Necklaced Warbler"

My first encounter was in dense, dark forest cover.

I could barely see, much less photograph this cutie

Several other encounters were in thick bushes where the bird just would not jump out. 

So many bad shots!

But I (with the help of PhotoShop and Topaz AI) was finally able to get a few good photos.

It is one of the last Warblers to arrive north in the spring, one of the first to leave in the fall to return to its South American wintering grounds and spends little time on its breeding grounds. 

I was lucky to see several!

Cape May Warbler

I had much better luck with the colorful (and quite friendly) Cape May Warbler.

Another Lifer!

During the breeding season, the species lives remote from most human observers, in northern spruce-fir forests, where its nesting success is tied to its chief food, the spruce budworm caterpillar. 

Cape May Warblers breed in the far north

These unusual Warblers have specially shaped tongues that allow them to sip nectar from tropical flowers, nd sometimes from hummingbird feeders, in winter.

I saw many Cape May Warblers in multiple places, especially Magee Marsh.

A less-colorful female

Chestnut-Sided Warbler

Another bird plentiful at BWIAB, the Chestnut-sided Warbler  thrives in young, regrowing forests, thickets and other disturbed areas.

A brightly colored male

Males sing two basic songs: one is accented at the end (pleased, pleased to meetcha!) and the other is not. 

Males sing the accented songs primarily to attract a female

Once nesting is underway, males switch to the unaccented songs, used mostly in territory defense and encounters with other males. Some males that sing only unaccented songs are less successful at securing mates than males that sing both songs.

Female Chestnut-sided Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Another Warbler without a Warbler name, the Common Yellowthroat is broadly distributed across the US, making it one of the most numerous Warblers.

With several subspecies; the ones at BWIAB were Eastern Common Yellowthroats

It was one of the first bird species to be catalogued from the New World, when a specimen from Maryland was described in 1766.

Usually seen in reeds, this one was in a tree taking advantage of a spider's cache

Common Yellowthroats are vocal birds, with witchety-witchety-witchety songs and distinctive call notes.

The Eastern variety is a bit duller than the ones at home

Magnolia Warbler

Without a doubt, one of the prettiest birds making an appearance at BWIAB is the Magnolia Warbler.

Magnificent!

The Magnolia Warbler occupies a very broad range of habitats in winter: from sea level to 5,000 feet in cacao plantations, orchards, forests and thickets.

The bird on the right is messing with his image of beauty

In 1810, Alexander Wilson collected a Warbler from a magnolia tree in Mississippi, giving it the English name "Black-and-yellow Warbler" and "magnolia" for the scientific species name, which became the common name over time.

An immature bird molting into breeding plumage

The male Magnolia Warbler has two songs. The first song, issued in courtship and around the nest, consists of three short phrases with an accented ending. The second song, possibly issued in territory defense against other males, is similar to the first but is sweeter and less accented.

Sharing State Recognition

One southern state is the namesake for two similar-looking Warblers ...

The Tennessee Warbler with its distinctive eye stripe

The Nashville Warbler with its distinctive eye ring

The Tennessee Warbler winters in tropical forests, where it has a unique way of eating nectar. Most nectar-eating birds, bats and insects drink nectar from the front of the flower, spreading pollen on their faces in the process. But, Tennessee Warblers pierce the flower tube at the base, lapping up the nectar without helping pollinate the flower.

Tennessee Warblers

The western population of the Nashville Warbler was once considered a separate species, called the "Calaveras Warbler." It is slightly brighter than eastern birds, with a brighter yellow rump, more white on the lower belly, and a habit of bobbing or flicking its tail.

The eastern variety of Nashville Warbler

Despite breeding no closer to the state of Tennessee than northern Michigan, 600 miles away, Tennessee and Nashville Warblers were given their names by Alexander Wilson based on birds he encountered in Tennessee during migration. 

Left: Nashville; Right: Tennessee

Most first-year Nashville Warblers migrate south along the Atlantic coast, whereas adults tend to migrate along inland routes.

Northern Parula

Another predominently eastern bird, the Northern Parula breeds in forests laden with Spanish moss or beard lichens. 

Male Northern Parula

It hops through branches bursting with a rising buzzy trill that pinches off at the end. 

Female Northern Parula

Northern Parulas have an odd break in their breeding range, which reaches from Florida north to the boreal forest of Canada, but skips parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and some states in the Northeast. 

A bifurcated range

The reason may be habitat loss and increasing air pollution, which affects the growth of moss on trees that Norther Parulas depend on for nesting.

The bird's name has started may lively debates. eBird says most people say par-OOH-la or PAR-eh-la while others say PAR-you-la. 

I have always heard pah-roo-la

Palm Warbler

The Warbler that doesn't act like one, the Palm Warbler spends its time walking on the ground, wagging its tail up and down.

A couple of Palm Warblers I saw during the week

Although you might think the Palm Warbler is a tropical bird, it's actually one of the northernmost breeders of all Warblers (only the Blackpoll Warbler breeds farther north). It got its name based on a specimen collected on Hispaniola, a Caribbean island with a lot of palm trees.

The bird on the left is a female

The Yellows

The last four Warblers I photographed are all predominantly yellow.

Prothonotary Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler

The Prothonotary Warbler is named for its bright yellow plumage that was said to resemble the golden-yellow robes worn by prothonotaries, official scribes in the Roman Catholic Church. 

I saw so many of these pretty birds

Often called a "Swamp Warbler" in the southeast, the Prothonotary also occurs surprisingly far to the north along rivers. 

Its population is declining, due to loss of forested wetlands and mangroves 

Most Warblers nest either on the ground, in shrubs or in trees, but only the Prothonotary Warbler and the Lucy's Warbler build their nests in holes in standing dead trees. They may also use nest boxes when available.

A female bringing moss to the nest cavity

I was surprised how excited people were getting about the Wilson's Warblers we saw, especially with the bird's broad range. 

But, people were loving it

Wilson's Warblers breed in mountains and northern forests, but pass through every state in the lower 48 during migration.

Balancing on a twig

They tend to be brighter in the West and paler in the East. Pacific Coast populations are almost orange. Rocky Mountain and Alaskan birds tend to be slightly larger than the Eastern and Pacific Coast populations. 

The majority of Wilson's Warblers nest on the ground, except for populations in coastal California and Oregon where they nest up to 5 feet off the ground. These birds tend to lay fewer eggs per nest compared to their ground-nesting relatives.

I think they look like they are wearing a beret

In summer, male Yellow Warblers sing their sweet whistled song from willows, wet thickets and roadsides across almost all of North America.

This was probably the most common Warbler at BWIAB, usually flitting pairs

The females and immatures aren't as bright, and lack the male's rich chestnut streaking, but their overall warm yellow tones, unmarked faces, and prominent black eyes help pick them out.

I saw females, but got pictures of only males

The nests of the Yellow Warbler are frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird. The Warbler often builds a new nest directly on top of the parasitized one, sometimes resulting in nests with up to six tiers.

Such a cutie!

Widely distributed, Yellow-rumped Warblers have several subspecies, the most common being Myrtle and Audubon's. I saw only Myrtle at BWIAB.

Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler

An Audubon's and an Audubon X Myrtle Hybrid, both photographed in Colorado

The most versatile foragers of all Warblers, they are often seen catching a flying insect, but they switch over to eating berries in fall. They have also been spotted picking at insects on washed-up seaweed at the beach, skimming insects from the surface of rivers and the ocean, picking them out of spiderwebs and grabbing them off piles of manure.

Searching for insects

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the only Warbler able to digest the waxes found in bayberries and wax myrtles. Its ability to use these fruits allows it to winter farther north than other Warblers, sometimes as far north as Newfoundland.

A big range

The Ones that Got Away

I mentioned that I didn't get photos of two Warblers I saw at BWIAB ...

Orange-crowned Warbler (I photographed this one in south Texas)

Mourning Warbler; Photo: Illinois Department of Natural Resources

The male Orange-crowned Warbler's song is so variable that the males can be told apart by their distinctive song patterns. Breeding males often form "song neighborhoods," where two to six birds in adjacent territories learn and mimic each other's songs. These "neighborhood" songs can persist for years.

Orange-crowned Warblers begin their spring migration earlier, stay later on the breeding grounds, and winter farther north than most other Warblers. 

Another one I photographed in south Texas

Food rather than day length seems to drive their migratory calendar, as they begin to leave the breeding grounds when cold or drought limit supplies of insect prey.

Mourning warbler; Photo: eBird

Mourning Warblers are among the most renowned skulkers of the Warbler family (hence, no photo!). They are common but seldom seen, particularly during migration and winter, when they are quiet. Mourning Warblers breed in dense thickets of northern North America, often in areas created by fires, storms or logging operations. Males sing a short, burry song.

"Mourning" refers to the male's hood, thought to resemble a mourning veil. Both male and female Mourning Warblers may pretend to have broken wings to distract predators close to their nest.

The Stars Weren't The Only Ones in the Show

That's a lot of Warblers, which are the major draw for the festival. But, this is not everything I saw. I'll show you some more of my BWIAB sightings in my next post

A beautiful Baltimore Oriole

Trip dates: May 3-21, 2025