Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut sided warbler male
Male
chestnut sided warbler female
Female (winter)

Chestnut-sided Warbler males have bright yellow crowns and black masks and are gray underneath with chestnut down the sides. In winter, males molt into green and white coloring and look similar to breeding females.

Females are paler than males and do not have black on their faces. They still have the chestnut sides and yellow crown during the breeding season, but in winter, they lack the chestnut sides, and the crown is brighter. Juveniles are similar to winter females.

  • Setophaga pensylvanica
  • Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
  • Weight: 0.4-0.5 oz (10.7-14.3 g)
  • Wingspan: 7.5-8.3 in (19-21 cm)

Range

Chestnut-sided Warblers breed in northeastern US states and southeastern Canada and can also be seen during migration over eastern US states.

Habitat And Diet

You can find Chestnut-sided Warblers on forest edges or thickets, mainly looking for insects. They especially like forests that have been damaged and are regenerating after fires, logging, or floods.

Chestnut-sided Warbler Song:

Nests

Nests of Chestnut-sided Warblers are low to the ground in trees and shrubs and made from grass, weeds, and bark woven into a cup shape and lined with softer material. They lay up to five eggs which take twelve days to hatch and around eleven days for the young to leave the nest.

Fun Fact:

Chestnut-sided Warblers only like forests regenerating forests, and once they are restored after about ten years, they find other forests to breed in.