A small warbler with distinctive zebra-stripe pattern. Climbs tree trunks like a nuthatch.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The black-and-white warbler is a species of New World warbler, and the only member of its genus, Mniotilta. It breeds in northern and eastern North America and winters in Florida, Central America, and the West Indies down to Peru. It has been recorded as a vagrant in Northern Europe, especially Britain and Ireland. Relative to other New World warblers, it is not well studied.
Source: Wikipedia — Black-and-white warbler Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Boldly streaked black and white over the entire body, including a striped crown. Males have a black throat in breeding season; females are cleaner white below.
Similar species. Blackpoll and Black-throated Gray warblers also streaked, but neither creeps on bark or shows the zebra-striped crown.
Voice. A high, thin, squeaky 'weesa-weesa-weesa' repeated 6–10 times, like a squeaky wheel.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects (caterpillars primary), spiders, occasional berries on migration.
Behavior. Forages like a nuthatch, creeping along trunks and large branches probing bark crevices for insects — the only warbler that habitually does so. Nests on the ground at the base of a tree.
§ Range
Eastern North America in summer
§ Habitat
Mature deciduous forests
§ Threats
Forest loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the black-and-white warbler is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support mature forest conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Black-and-white warbler
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Mniotilta varia
- IUCN Red List — search for Mniotilta varia
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Mniotilta varia
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
