Species · GBIF taxon 7341606
Wilson's Warbler
Cardellina pusillaAlso known as Black-capped Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Black-capped Warbler
Wilson's warblers are highly active, restless songbirds that constantly flick their long tails and hover to snatch insects from the undersides of leaves. They favor dense, shrubby undergrowth near water, where males sing a rapid, chattering series of notes that drops in pitch at the end. During migration, these bright yellow birds form loose, mixed-species flocks, moving quickly through willow and alder thickets.
MigratoryInsectivorousVibrant
Licensed reference(c) Michael Woodruff, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
- diet
- Insects, spiders, and occasional berries
- family
- Parulidae
- threats
- Habitat loss on breeding and wintering grounds, window collisions, and climate change
- life Span
- 6 to 8 years in the wild
LC
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- Listen for the song: Identify them by their rapid, chattering song that typically drops in pitch at the very end.
- Scan willow thickets: Look for their constant tail-twitching and hovering behavior in low, wet shrubbery.
- Watch during migration: Look for them in mixed-species foraging flocks during spring and fall.