Virginia's Warbler
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.
● Song:
"chee-wee, chee-wee, chee-wee, cheeah, cheeah, chee", "chink"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Virginia's Warbler: Diet consists mostly of insects. Forages on the ground, in foliage, or catches insects in mid-air.
● Breeding & nesting:
Virginia's Warbler: Three to five brown flecked, white eggs are laid in a loosely built cup nest on the ground. Incubation ranges from 11 to 12 days and is carried out by both parents.
● Similar species:
Virginia's Warbler: Lucy's Warbler lacks white eye-ring, yellow rump, and undertail coverts. Nashville Warbler has more yellow on underparts and more olive on upperparts. Colima Warbler is larger and darker, and its range is restricted to a small area in Texas.
● Range & 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.