Black-throated Blue Warbler
Setophaga caerulescens
Summary 4
The Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family. Its breeding ranges are located in the interior of deciduous and mixed forests in eastern North America. Over the cooler months, it migrates to islands in the Caribbean and Central America. It is a very rarely found in western Europe, where it is considered to be an non-indigenous species. The Black-throated Blue Warbler is sexually dimorphic; the adult male...
Setophaga caerulescens 5
A medium-sized (5-5 ½ inches) wood warbler, the male Black-throated Blue Warbler is most easily identified by its bluish-gray head and back, black throat, and white breast. Female Black-throated Blue Warblers are pale brownish-gray overall with a faint white eye-stripes. The male Black-throated Blue Warbler may be distinguished from the related Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga ceruleaa) by that species’ lighter blue coloration and pale throat, whereas the female Black-throated Blue Warbler may be distinguished from the female Cerulean Warbler by that species’ greener body and paler breast. The Black-throated Blue Warbler breeds a limited area of southern Canada and portions of the eastern United States, mainly in the interior northeast and upper Midwest. Smaller numbers breed at higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains as far south as northern Georgia. In winter, Black-throated Blue Warblers may be found in southern Florida, the West Indies, southern Mexico, and on the Caribbean the coast of northern Central America. Black-throated Blue Warblers primarily breed in deciduous or mixed deciduous and evergreen forests, preferring dense forest to more open woodland. In winter and on migration, this species is primarily found in humid tropical forests. Black-throated Blue Warblers primarily eat small invertebrates, including insects and spiders, but this species may also eat seeds and berries in winter. In appropriate habitat, Black-throated Blue Warblers may be observed foraging for insects on leaves, twigs, and branches in the lower canopy. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a buzzing “zur zur zur zreee.” Black-throated Blue Warblers are primarily active during the day.
Habitat 6
Black-throated blue warblers are found in tracts of undisturbed deciduous and mixed-deciduous forests in their breeding range. Forests they occur in include those with maples (Acer), birches (Betula), beeches (Fagus grandifolia), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), spruce (Picea), and fir (Abies). The elevational range of these forests varies throughout the region. They prefer forests with a dense, shrubby understory. They migrate along woodlands and woodland fragments, including riparian forests. In winter they are found in tropical forests, including secondary forest, plantations, and disturbed forest fragments.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest
Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural ; riparian
Conservation status 7
Black-throated blue warblers have a large range and large populations without evidence of significant population declines. They are considered "least concern" by the IUCN. They are considered sensitive to forest fragmentation, preferring areas of forest over 100 hectares in size, but they are found in disturbed forests and secondary growth, provided there is a lush understory. Similarly, in their winter range, black-throated blue warblers are found in a variety of forests, including disturbed forests, orchards, and plantations, but populations may be negatively impacted by habitat destruction. They are also found dead as a result of collisions with man-made objects, such as television towers, during migration.
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Iucn red list assessment 8
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
History
-
Least Concern (LC)
-
Least Concern (LC)
-
Least Concern (LC)
-
Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
-
Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
-
Lower Risk/least concern (LR/lc)
Sources and Credits
- Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Dendroica_caerulescens1.jpg/460px-Dendroica_caerulescens1.jpg
- (c) Mdf, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Dendroica-caerulescens-001.jpg/460px-Dendroica-caerulescens-001.jpg
- (c) Ken Schneider, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5619544395_2557def87e.jpg
- Adapted by Amanda Carrillo-Perez from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setophaga_caerulescens
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34818205
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31390322
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31390332
- (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34419940
