Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)

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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

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

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

Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)

Identification: 5 inches from tip of bill to tip of tail.

Breeding Male: The head and underside of the Prothonotary Warbler is yellow-orange. The back is olive-brown and the wings and tail are blue-gray. Wing bars are absent. The feathers on the underside of the tail are white.

Female: The female is similar to the male, but the yellow-orange of the male is a lighter yellow in the female and the head is tinged with olive.

Fall Male and Female: The fall male and female are similar to the breeding individuals.

Immature: Similar to the female.

Similar Species: The absence of wing bars and the blue-gray wings will distinguish from any other North American species of warbler.

Breeding Range (see map below): The breeding range of the Prothonotary Warbler includes the southern United States, with isolated pockets furthern north. The species ranges as far west as eastern Texas and Oklahoma.

Overwintering Range: American tropics.

Habitat: This species occurs in aquatic habitats with trees such as wooded swamps, flooded bottomland, and streams crowded with dead trees.

Food: Insects and aquatic invertebrates.

Behavior: The Prothonotary Warbler is a very active bird and is rarely seen far from water. The song is a loud sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet.

Reproduction: The Prothonotary Warbler nests in tree holes, birdhouses, or other man-made equivalents. The clutch consists of 3 to 8 white eggs spotted with purple. Incubation takes 12 to 14 days and the young are ready to leave the nest about 10 days after hatching.