General

Blackpoll Warbler: Medium-sized warbler with black-streaked, gray upperparts, white underparts, and black-streaked white sides. Head has black cap and prominent white cheek patch. Wings are dark with two white bars. Female, winter adult, and juvenile are olive-tinged and lack white and black markings on head.

Range and Habitat

Blackpoll Warbler: Breeds from Alaska and northern Canada to southern Canada and northern New England. Spends winters in the tropics. Preferred breeding habitat is coniferous forests; during migration found chiefly in tall trees.

Breeding and Nesting

Blackpoll Warbler: Three to five brown or lavender marked, white eggs are laid in a twig-and-grass nest, often lined with feathers, and usually built in a small evergreen tree. Female incubates eggs for about 12 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Blackpoll Warbler: Eats aphids, beetles, mosquitoes, ants, wasps, gnats, and spiders. Actively chases insects; sometimes catches flying insects in mid-air.

Readily Eats

Sugar Water, Fruit, Nut Pieces

Vocalization

Blackpoll Warbler: Song is a rapid series of high lisping notes on same pitch, increasing and then decreasing in volume "seet-seet-seet-seet-seet-seet-seet-seet."

Similar Species

Blackpoll Warbler: Black-and-white Warbler has striped crown. Bay-breasted Warbler is has black legs, buff undertail coverts, and fewer streaks on breast. Pine Warbler lacks black streaks on back, has black legs, and has more yellow on throat and breast.