Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora cyanoptera
Summary 4
The blue-winged warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) is a fairly common New World warbler, 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long and weighing 8.5 g (0.30 oz). It breeds in eastern North America in southern Ontario and the eastern United States. Its range is extending northwards, where it is replacing the very closely related golden-winged warbler, Vermivora chrysoptera.
Vermivora cyanoptera 5
A medium-sized (4 ½ -5 inches) wood warbler, the male Blue-winged Warbler is most easily identified by its olive-green back, yellow breast, yellow forehead, black eye-stripes, and gray-blue wings with white wing bars. Female Blue-winged Warblers are similar to males, but are somewhat duller overall with an olive-green cast on the head and back. This species occasionally hybridizes with the related Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), producing a dominant hybrid form (“Brewster’s Warbler,” which is pale below and olive green above with the Blue-winged Warbler’s black eye-stripes) and, more rarely, a recessive hybrid form (“Lawrence’s Warbler,” which is yellow below and olive-green above with the Golden-winged Warbler’s black facial markings). The Blue-winged Warbler breeds in portions of the eastern United States and southern Canada from Minnesota east to Massachusetts and from Ontario south to northern Alabama. In winter, this species migrates south to southern Mexico and Central America. This species has recently expanded its range northward into areas inhabited by Golden-winged Warblers, perhaps being partially responsible for the latter species’ recent declines. Blue-winged Warblers primarily breed in semi-open woodland habitats, particularly around forest edges, clearings, and places where ecological disturbance (forest fires, for example) has recently occurred. In winter, this species utilizes similar types of habitat in humid tropical forests. Blue-winged Warblers eat a variety of small invertebrates, primarily moths. In appropriate habitat, Blue-winged Warblers may be seen foraging for food on leaves and branches at middle heights in the canopy. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a buzzing “beee-bzzz” dropping in pitch at the end. Blue-winged Warblers are primarily active during the day.
Habitat 6
Comments: BREEDING: Brushy hillsides, second growth, partly open situations with saplings, bogs, woodland edge and clearings, stream edges, overgrown pastures, swamps. Nests close to or on ground, in bushes, weeds, or grasses, or under bushes, or between exposed roots of stump (Terres 1980).
NON-BREEDING: In migration and winter, occurs in brushy areas, scrub, and open woodland (Terres 1980). In the Yucatan, Mexico is a tropical forest specialist (Lynch 1989).
Iucn red list assessment 7
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
History
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Least Concern (LC)
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Least Concern (LC)
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Least Concern (LC)
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Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
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Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
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Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jamie Chavez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/almiyi/10369671394/
- (c) cyric, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by cyric
- Louis Agassiz Fuertes., no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Blue-winged_Warbler_NGM-v31-p308-D.jpg/460px-Blue-winged_Warbler_NGM-v31-p308-D.jpg
- Adapted by Amanda Carrillo-Perez from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermivora_cyanoptera
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34818208
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28943738
- (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34775122
