Overview
Virginia's Warbler: Small warbler, gray upperparts, yellow rump. Throat is white with yellow patch, breast and undertail are yellow, sides and belly are white with a gray wash. Head has rufous crown patch, bold white eye-rings. Named for the wife of the army surgeon who discovered it in New Mexico.
Range and Habitat
Virginia's Warbler: Breeds from southeastern California, southern Idaho, and northern Colorado south to Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. Spends winters south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include scrub oak and other chaparral, pinyon-juniper brushlands, and pine and oak woodlands.
Topo Map:
Perching-like Body
Listen to Call
Similar Sounding
Voice Text
Sings a 2-part song of slurred notes that sounds like chee-wee, chee-wee, chee-wee, cheeah, cheeah, chee.
Interesting Facts
Despite what its name may suggest, Virginia's Warbler is not named after the state of Virginia, which makes sense as the birds range only reaches as far east as the state of Texas. The bird was named for Virginia Anderson, the wife of an army surgeon who discovered the bird in New Mexico in 1858.
When Spencer Fullerton Baird of the Smithsonian Institute described the bird for science in 1860 he honored the wishes of the warbler's discoverer and designated Virginia to be both the birds’ common and scientific name.
Their habitat is threatened by many factors, including road construction, invasion of non native plant species and wildfires.
A group of warblers has many collective nouns, including "a bouquet of warblers", "a confusion of warblers", "a fall of warblers", and a "wrench of warblers."
Bird Term Glossary
Author
Gary Owen Dick
Related Birds
Northern Parula
Nashville Warbler
Lucy's Warbler
Colima Warbler
Crescent-chested Warbler
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