Male Cerulean Warblers are small songbirds that have rich blue heads with black bands around their neck. Their backs and sides are blue with black streaks. Their throats, breasts, and bellies are white. On their wings are two white bars.Â
Females are bluish-green and have yellow eyebrows and a yellowish tinge underneath. They also have no streaks on their backs.
Juveniles are more olive than blue with the same eyebrows as females. They also have prominent streaks on their sides but with the same white double-wing bars. Â
- Setophaga cerulea
- Length: 4.5 – 5 inches (11 – 13 cm)
- Weight: 0.3 oz. (9 g)
- Wingspan: 7.5 inches (19 cm)
Range
Cerulean Warblers breed in the Midwest and across to the east coast but can be seen during migration in southeastern states on their way to winter grounds in South America.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Cerulean Warblers in mature forests with deciduous trees with large leaves. When migrating, they head for forested mountains.
Cerulean Warblers mostly forage in trees. They may catch insects in flight or search for insects, like caterpillars, among leaves and branches.
Cerulean Warblers’ Song:
Nests
Nests of Cerulean Warblers are cup-shaped and naturally located in the higher, horizontal branches of trees. They are often made out of bark strips, spider silk, and grass made soft with moss and fur. The female lays three to five eggs that she has to incubate for about thirteen days.
Fun Fact:
Females, when they exit their nests, tumble to the ground like a falling leaf but immediately release their wings and fly near the ground.
