Kentucky Warbler
Geothlypis formosa
Shy warbler of deciduous forest with thick understory. Often found in swampy areas or near slow-moving streams. Bright yellow below with olive back. Telltale black mask set off by yellow spectacles and throat. All plumages show face pattern; adult males boldest with black crown, females and immatures duller with grayish or olive crown. In the breeding season, more often heard than seen. Song is a series of 4-8 loud, rich, rolling notes "preet, preet, preet, preet." Can perch high when singing, otherwise stays near the ground.
Identification
Adult Kentucky warblers are mostly an olive-green in color on their back and nape, and a brilliant yellow below from their throat to their belly. They have a small tinge of black on their crown, and a large black mask with a yellow pattern that runs from the beak and encircles the eyes, resembling a pair of spectacles. Female Kentucky warblers have slightly less black on the sides of their head, and immature birds may have almost no black at all.<p>Measurements:
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Geothlypis formosa
- Authority
- (Wilson, A, 1811)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Geothlypis
Range and habitat
The Kentucky warbler is a scarce bird with a large range, frequenting moist deciduous forests. It is migratory, spending summer in the central and eastern United States, often ranging as far north as Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. Come fall and winter the Kentucky warbler will migrate back to the Yucatán Peninsula and the many islands of the Caribbean, flying non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico. In 2007, the Kentucky warbler was seen as far west as Farmington, New Mexico.
- Breeding range
- NA : c, e, se USA
- Non-breeding range
- Mexico to n SA
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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