A small yellow warbler with blue-gray wings.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The blue-winged warbler is a fairly common migratory New World warbler, 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long and weighing 8.5 g (0.30 oz). It breeds in eastern North America in southern Ontario and the eastern United States and winters in southern Central America. Its breeding range is extending northwards, where it is replacing the very closely related golden-winged warbler.
Source: Wikipedia — Blue-winged warbler Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Bright yellow head and underparts, olive back, a thin black line through the eye, and two white wing bars on blue-gray wings.
Similar species. Golden-winged Warbler shares range and habitat but has a gray body and black throat/mask; hybrids are frequent and variable.
Voice. A buzzy, insect-like two-parted 'beee-bzzzz' (inhale-exhale quality).
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects (caterpillars primary), spiders, occasional berries on migration.
Behavior. Forages in second growth and shrubby old fields, often hanging upside down to probe dead-leaf clusters. Hybridizes freely with Golden-winged Warbler (producing 'Brewster's' and 'Lawrence's' warblers).
§ Range
Eastern North America in summer
§ Habitat
Brushy areas, young forests
§ Threats
Habitat loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the blue-winged warbler is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support brushy habitat conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Blue-winged warbler
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Vermivora cyanoptera
- IUCN Red List — search for Vermivora cyanoptera
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Vermivora cyanoptera
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
