American RedstartSetophaga ruticillaAdult males are striking and distinctive: mostly glossy black with bright orange flashes on the wings, tail, and sides. Females and young males are duller gray and olive with yellow patches instead of orange. Habitually flicks and fans tail while foraging for insects. Breeds in mature deciduous forests, often near water. Migrants can be found in any wooded habitat. Fairly extensive winter range throughout most of Middle America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Song is extremely variable.Parulidae bird family
Order Passeriformes · 11 selected species
Browse verified BirdLens profiles selected for complete taxonomy, substantial descriptive coverage, and visual evidence. Open a species to compare its identification notes, distribution, behavior, sounds, and maps.
American RedstartSetophaga ruticillaAdult males are striking and distinctive: mostly glossy black with bright orange flashes on the wings, tail, and sides. Females and young males are duller gray and olive with yellow patches instead of orange. Habitually flicks and fans tail while foraging for insects. Breeds in mature deciduous forests, often near water. Migrants can be found in any wooded habitat. Fairly extensive winter range throughout most of Middle America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Song is extremely variable.
Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta variaDistinctive warbler with bold black-and-white stripes over entire body. Adult males have black throat and cheek; females and immatures have white throat and paler cheek. Creeps along branches like a nuthatch, searching for insects. Breeds in mature deciduous or mixed forests; winters in a wider variety of wooded habitats as far south as northern South America. Listen for high pitched “squeaky-wheel” song. Breeding male Blackpoll Warbler is potentially confusing, but note different behavior and face pattern.
Cerulean WarblerSetophaga ceruleaBrilliant sky-blue warbler of the high canopy. Prefers mature deciduous forest, either in riparian areas or dry mountain ridge-tops. Tends to stay high in the canopy; thus, can be difficult to see blue color. From below, look for white throat and belly, thin necklace, and dark streaks on sides. Female is a unique muted turquoise with pale eyebrow and blurry streaks on sides. Immature birds show yellow wash on underparts. All plumages have bold white wingbars. Easiest to detect in spring and summer by its loud buzzy song, similar to Black-throated Blue but usually richer and more distinctly three-parted; much lower-pitched than Blackburnian Warbler. Winters primarily on the east slope of the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia.Cerulean WarblerSetophaga ceruleaBrilliant sky-blue warbler of the high canopy. Prefers mature deciduous forest, either in riparian areas or dry mountain ridge-tops. Tends to stay high in the canopy; thus, can be difficult to see blue color. From below, look for white throat and belly, thin necklace, and dark streaks on sides. Female is a unique muted turquoise with pale eyebrow and blurry streaks on sides. Immature birds show yellow wash on underparts. All plumages have bold white wingbars. Easiest to detect in spring and summer by its loud buzzy song, similar to Black-throated Blue but usually richer and more distinctly three-parted; much lower-pitched than Blackburnian Warbler. Winters primarily on the east slope of the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia.
Elfin-woods WarblerSetophaga angelaeA medium-sized warbler of moist montane dwarf forests where it feeds actively in dense canopy foliage. It is most readily distinguished from Black-and-white Warbler by the absence of white streaking on its back and the lack of a white eyebrow. Easily separated from Blackpoll Warblers, which have a white, not black cheek. Song is a thin trill, higher pitched during first half and lower pitched during the second. Call note is a high, thin “Peet.”
Golden-cheeked WarblerSetophaga chrysopariaBreeds exclusively in mixed juniper-oak woodland in central Texas. Seldom seen in migration. Male has jet-black crown, throat, and back; bright yellow face with a black line through the eye. Two white wingbars; white underparts with black streaks down the sides. Female and immatures duller with pale throat, olive-green back and crown; similar to Black-throated Green Warbler, but note more distinct dark line through eye and lack of yellow vent. Winters in mountainous pine-oak forest in Mexico and Central America. Variable song includes several trills and buzzes at different pitches.
Kirtland's WarblerSetophaga kirtlandiiOne of the largest and rarest warblers. Breeds only in young jack pine forests in northern Michigan and Wisconsin. Winters in the Bahamas; seldom seen in migration. Blue-gray above and lemon-yellow below with broken white eye-ring, thin white wingbars, and black spotting on sides. Female slightly browner than male. Constantly pumps tail up and down. Most similar to drab female or immature Magnolia Warbler but larger with gray (not greenish) back and tail-pumping behavior. Also compare with Canada Warbler, which has bold black streaks across breast and bold yellow spectacles.
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnoliaBreeding males are striking and unmistakable: especially look for white wing patch, head pattern, and thick black streaks on underparts. Females and immatures are less obvious and might be mistaken for Canada Warbler, but combination of gray head, yellow underparts, white wingbars, and at least some dark streaks on the flanks is distinctive. Always look for tail pattern from below: basal half is white, tip is black. Breeds in coniferous forests, especially with dense understory. Migrants and wintering birds can be found in any wooded area or edge. Winters primarily in Central America and the Caribbean.
Red WarblerCardellina rubraUnmistakable, active, bright-red little bird endemic to highlands in Mexico. Favors humid conifer forest, pine-oak forest, and adjacent brushy areas; fairly common. Usually in pairs, foraging at all levels, often moving with mixed-species feeding flocks. Cheek patch is white in central and southern Mexico and silvery gray in northwest Mexico. No similar species.
Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusillaSmall, active, bright yellow warbler. Most birds (adults of both sexes and young males) have a black cap; young females lack this feature. Also note the rather long, narrow tail that is actively flipped around while foraging. Extensive breeding range across northern and western North America; more common in the west than east. Prefers dense thickets, especially with willows and alders. Winters primarily in Mexico, extending as far south as Panama. Migrants and wintering birds are found in any brushy wooded habitat. Listen for husky chip notes. Compare with Yellow Warbler, but note Wilson’s is smaller, smaller-billed, and has a relatively longer, thinner tail.
Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorumA plain warbler dressed in subtle shades of olive, brown, and buff. Note black and tan stripes on head and long, sharp bill. Pinkish legs. Skulky, often seen in the understory, probing clumps of dead leaves in search of insects. Breeds in mature deciduous forests, especially on steep dry slopes. Winters primarily in Middle America and the Caribbean, where it can be found in a wider variety of forested habitats. Listen for its dry, insectlike trill that is very similar to Chipping Sparrow. Appearance most similar to Swainson’s Warbler; distinguished by head pattern (Swainson’s has a rufous crown, Worm-eating has a striped head) and habits (Swainson’s usually found on the ground, Worm-eating in low understory).