A small blue-and-yellow warbler that nests almost exclusively inside hanging moss clumps — Spanish moss in southern swamps, Usnea lichen in northern conifers.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The northern parula is a small New World warbler. It is migratory and breeds in eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida.
Source: Wikipedia — Northern parula Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Small blue-gray warbler with a yellow throat and breast, a greenish patch on the back, two white wing bars, and white eye-crescents; males show a chestnut-and-black breast band.
Similar species. Tropical Parula (south Texas) lacks the breast band and white eye-crescents; the Northern's broken white eye-arcs and (male) breast band are key.
Voice. A buzzy, rising trill that snaps over at the very end: 'zeeeeeee-up'.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage, especially caterpillars; some berries on migration.
Behavior. A tiny, active warbler of mature forests that nests in hanging clumps of Spanish moss (South) or beard lichen (North); forages at the tips of branches, often hanging upside down.
§ Range
Eastern North America in summer; winters in Caribbean and Central America
§ Habitat
Mature forests with hanging mosses (Spanish moss in south, Usnea in north)
§ Threats
Air pollution killing Usnea, Spanish moss decline, mature forest loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the northern parula is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support clean-air policies. Protect old-growth and mature forests. Don't remove Spanish moss from trees.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Northern parula
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Setophaga americana
- IUCN Red List — search for Setophaga americana
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Setophaga americana
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
