Cerulean Warbler

Dendroica ceruleaOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Wood Warblers (Parulidae)

Codes: Common Name: CERW Scientific Name: DENCER ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178903

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Cerulean Warbler: Small warbler with sky-blue, faintly streaked upperparts, black-streaked white flanks. Black band separates white throat and belly. Wings have two bold white bars. Black bill, legs and feet. Prefers to stay high in the crowns of mature deciduous trees, making it difficult to see.

Range and Habitat

Cerulean Warbler: Breeds from extreme southwestern Quebec and southern Ontario west to Minnesota and Nebraska, and south from eastern Texas to North Carolina. Spends winters in montane forests of northern South America. Prefers mature forests with broad-leaved, deciduous species and an open understory; often found near bottomlands and rivers.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"zhee-zhee-zhee-zizizizi zzzeeeet"

Interesting Facts

The Cerulean Warbler’s population is dropping faster than any other warbler species in the United States. Between 1966 and 1999, it declined an average of 4% per year for a total population loss of 70%. Current estimates are at around 560,000 birds.

If the female has to abandon a nest and begin a new one, she will leave behind the grass, bark and hair, but will take the spider web with her for the new nest.

Females frequently exit their canopy nests by tumbling from the nest. In doing so, the female resembles a leaf falling from a tree until, just above the forest floor, she untucks her wings and swiftly flies off parallel to the ground.

A group of warblers has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "confusion", "fall", and "wrench" of warblers.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Imran Kahn

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Cerulean Warbler

● Song: "zhee-zhee-zhee-zizizizi zzzeeeet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Cerulean Warbler: Feeds on insects, with a preference for caterpillars; usually forages in trees.

● Breeding & nesting: Cerulean Warbler: Three to five brown-spotted, white to gray eggs are laid in nest made of bark strips, grass, spider silk, and lichens, and lined with moss and fur. Nest is built by the female and built 15 to 90 feet above the ground, usually on a horizontal branch in a deciduous tree. Incubation ranges from 12 to 13 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Cerulean Warbler: Male is distinctive. Female and juvenile are distinguished from other warblers by gray (not olive) backs, strong white wing-bars, and distinct white band above eye.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Cerulean Warbler: Breeds from extreme southwestern Quebec and southern Ontario west to Minnesota and Nebraska, and south from eastern Texas to North Carolina. Spends winters in montane forests of northern South America. Prefers mature forests with broad-leaved, deciduous species and an open understory; often found near bottomlands and rivers.

^BreedingMonogamous

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.3 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America