A small western warbler with bright yellow face and black mask. Pacific Northwest specialty species.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
Townsend's warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.
Source: Wikipedia — Townsend's warbler Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Black-and-yellow face with a dark cheek patch enclosed in yellow, black throat (males), yellow breast with black side streaks, two white wing bars.
Similar species. Hermit Warbler has a plain yellow face and gray back; Black-throated Green has an olive (not dark) cheek and less yellow on the breast. Hybridizes with Hermit.
Voice. A buzzy, wheezy 'dzeer-dzeer-dzeer-dzee' rising at the end.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects (caterpillars primary), spiders, occasional berries on migration.
Behavior. Forages high in tall western conifers; in winter feeds partly on the sugary excretions of scale insects in coastal forests.
§ Range
Western North America in summer
§ Habitat
Coniferous forests
§ Threats
Western forest loss, climate change.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the townsend's warbler is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support Pacific Northwest forest conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Townsend's warbler
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Setophaga townsendi
- IUCN Red List — search for Setophaga townsendi
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Setophaga townsendi
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
