Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)

Special Segments Butterflies of North America Conifers of North America Eastern Birds List of N.A. Insects Home Eastern Wildflowers General Topics Natural History Ecology Family Environment Evolution Home Education Home Conservation Geophysics Paleontology Commercial Organizations

Purchase

A Field Guide to Warblers of North America (The Peterson Field Guide Series). by Kimball L. Garrett, Jon L. Dunn, Cindy House (Illustrator)

Warblers of Eastern North America

Color Photograph: Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

Recording by John R. Sauer, U.S. Geological Survey

Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)

Identification: 4 inches from tip of bill to tip of tail.

Breeding Male: Blue-gray above with black streaks along the back. The throat, breast, and belly are white with black streaking along the sides and a distinct black necklace around the neck. White wing bars are present and strong.

Female: Much duller than the male; dull blue-gray above and dirty white below. The head has a strong white band (supercilium) above the eyes. The black necklace of the male is absent and the black streaking on the sides of the breast is weak.

Fall Male and Female: Fall males and females are the same as their spring and summer counterparts.

Immature: Immatures resemble females.

Similar Species: The male is distinctive. The females and immatures are usually easily identified by the gray (not olive) back, the strong white wing bars, and the strong white band above the eye.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Cerulean Warbler has a curious distribution in the central Eastern Deciduous Forest. Isolated populations exist as far north as New York and Wisconsin, but the majority of the range falls in central-eastern United States as far south as northern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Westward the species reaches Missouri and Arkansas. The species, during the breeding season, is rare along the coast.

Overwintering Range: American tropics.

Habitat: The Cerulean Warbler is found in open deciduous woodlands, commonly near streams and rivers.

Food: Insects

Behavior: The song is a series of 6 to 8 buzzy notes, the sequence faster in the middle than on either end.

Reproduction: The nest is constructed of plant fibers lined with grass, moss, and hair. The nest is placed high up in a deciduous tree, usually near the end of a branch. Clutch size varies from 3 to 5 averaging 4 brown spotted white eggs. Incubation takes about 12 days.

Notes: The Cerulean Warbler has a spotty distribution and during the breeding season usually occurs in scattered localities. The species spends most of its time high in the trees and is often difficult to see.