Blackburnian Warbler
Setophaga fusca
Summary 4
The Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) is a small New World warbler. They breed in eastern North America, from southern Canada, westwards to the southern Canadian Prairies, the Great Lakes region and New England, to North Carolina.
Setophaga fusca 5
A medium-sized (5 inches) wood warbler, the male Blackburnian Warbler is most easily identified by its black back, streaked flanks, and bright orange face patches. Female Blackburnian Warblers are grayish-brown on the back and yellow on the face, resembling faded males. Both sexes of the related American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) are similarly dark with yellow and orange patches, but whereas the Blackburnian Warbler has bright areas on its face, the bright areas present on the plumage of that species are concentrated on the wings and tail. The Blackburnian Warbler breeds across southern Canada and the northeastern United States. This species is also present at higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains as far south as northern Georgia. In winter, Yellow-throated Warblers may be found from Costa Rica south to Peru. Blackburnian Warblers breed in a variety of dense woodland habitats, particularly those largely composed of evergreen trees. In winter, this species may be found in humid tropical forests. Blackburnian Warblers primarily eat small invertebrates, including insects and spiders, but may also eat a small amount of plant material, mainly fruits and berries, during the winter. In appropriate habitat, Blackburnian Warblers may be observed flitting through high branches in tall trees while foraging for insects. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a whistled “zip zip zip titi tseeeeee.” Blackburnian Warblers are primarily active during the day, but, like many migratory songbirds, this species undertakes part of its migration at night.
Habitat 6
Blackburnian warblers inhabit deciduous and coniferous forests during the summer. They prefer coniferous forests, but will be found in spruce trees or hemlock in deciduous forests. In any forest type in their summer range, blackburnian warblers are most active foraging and vocalizing in conifers. Tree species preferred by blackburnian warblers are pines Pinus, spruces Picea, and hemlocks Tsuga. They prefer the upper third of tree canopies in dense, mature forests. During the winter they are found in wet forests from Panama into South America.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: taiga ; forest ; rainforest
Conservation status 7
Currently, blackburnian warbler populations are not considered threatened. However, wintering habitats are rapidly declining and they are sensitive to forest fragmentation.
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
Sources and Credits
- (c) Mdf, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dendroica-fusca-001.jpg
- (c) Gary Palmer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5778715165_3a3656380a.jpg
- (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
- Adapted by Amanda Carrillo-Perez from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setophaga_fusca
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34818203
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31390381
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31390391
