Cape May Warbler

Overview

Cape May Warbler: Small warbler, olive-yellow upperparts, thick, black streaks on yellow underparts. Bright yellow face, chestnut-brown ear patch, black crown. Wings are dark with large white patches. First collected in Cape May, New Jersey in 1811 and not seen again in that area for over 100 years.

Range and Habitat

Cape May Warbler: Breeds from southern Mackenzie, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec south to North Dakota, Michigan, northern New York, Maine, and Nova Scotia. Spends winters in southern Florida and the West Indies. Preferred habitats include open spruce forests, but during migration also found in evergreen or deciduous woodlands, and often parks or suburban yards.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Cape May Warbler's Latin name, tigrina, reflects the tiger striped appearance of the adult male.
The tongue is unique among warblers. It is curled and semitubular, and is used to collect nectar during winter.
Use of certain combinations of insecticides to control spruce budworms, its preferred food, causes steep declines in its numbers.
A group of warblers has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "confusion", "fall", and "wrench" of warblers.

The Cape May Warbler is currently evaluated as Least Concern. It is primarily known to breed in northern regions of North America. This bird tends to winter in the West Indies. On occasion this bird has been known to rarely show up in Western Europe. At the current time there is no concern that the population of the Cape May Warbler may be in danger due to its large range and extensive population.