Blackburnian Warbler

Overview

Blackburnian Warbler: Medium warbler, yellow-orange head, black cap and cheek patch, and orange throat. Upperparts are black with white stripes and underparts are white with black- streaked flanks. Wings have prominent white patches. The tail is black with white on outer tail feathers.

Range and Habitat

Blackburnian Warbler: Breeds from Saskatchewan east to Nova Scotia, south to the Great Lakes, southern New England, and in mountains to northern Georgia. Spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include mixed forests of hemlock, spruce, and various hardwoods.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Blackburnian Warbler was named after Anna Blackburne, an English botanist. No other North American warbler has an orange throat.
Nests are placed high in those same trees, up to 85 feet above ground, hidden in dense foliage or in Usnea lichen. Perhaps because nests are so high, it is an uncommon victim of Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism.
They feed and nest in the upper and outer portions of coniferous trees, perhaps to avoid competition with other closely-related species. Hemlocks are a favorite.
A group of warblers has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "confusion", "fall", and "wrench" of warblers.

The Blackburnian Warbler is a small songbird which is widely distributed in North America, including southern Canada, the Great Lakes and South Carolina. In winter months, they migrate to Central and South America. They are characterized by a distinct yellow and black head pattern with an orange throat. Breeding grounds for the Blackburnian Warbler include coniferous and mixed woods, and they prefer spruce and hemlock trees. Their diet consists mostly of insects, but they will occasionally eat berries as well. Due to their wide distribution and evidence of stable or growing populations, the Blackburnian Warbler is classified as Least Concern.