Canada Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis)

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

Canada Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis)

Identification: 4.75 inches from tip of bill to tip of tail.

Breeding Male: The back and most of the head are gray with a slight blue tint. The underside is bright yellow with black streaks along the breast. Wings bars are absent. The eye is surrounded by a yellow eye ring and followed by a triangular black patch.

Female: Similar to the male, but slightly more obscure.

Fall Male and Female: Similar to the breeding male and female.

Immature: Similar to the female.

Similar Species: The Canada Warbler is immediately recognizable by the gray top, bright yellow underside, and the absence of wing bars. Some warblers of the genus Dendroica might be confused with this species, but the absence of wing bars in the Canada Warbler is diagnostic.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Canada Warbler extends in a narrow band through the prairie provinces of Canada eastward into southeastern Canada to Nova Scotia. The species occurs throughout the northeastern United States and southward in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.

Overwintering Range: American tropics.

Habitat: The Canada Warbler prefers old, cool, and moist woodlands with a lot of undergrowth.

Food: Insects.

Behavior: The Canada Warbler forages in the undergrowth of the forest, flitting from branch to branch and hawking various types of flying insects. The song is fast and variable, usually ending with a terminal chip.

Reproduction: The nest is made of dead leaves and grass and is placed on the ground near the stump of a tree or clump of ferns. The clutch consists of 3 to 5 brown-spotted white eggs.