Species
Black-and-white warbler
Mniotilta varia
A zebra-striped warbler that creeps along tree trunks like a nuthatch.
Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 11 to 13 cm long
- Weight
- About 8 to 15 g
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed woods
- Diet
- Insects from bark
- In Georgia
- A summer resident in the north; a migrant elsewhere; a few winter in the south
- Voice
- A thin, squeaky "wee-see wee-see"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Bold black-and-white stripes all over
- Told apart from
- Blackpoll warbler, which has a solid black cap
- Where to look
- Tree trunks and large branches
Behaviour
Black-and-white warblers creep along trunks and branches like nuthatches, probing bark for insects.
Why they matter
Black-and-white warblers are one of the earliest migrants to arrive in spring, able to find insects in bark before leaves open.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup on the ground at the base of a tree
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 10 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Window strikes kill many on migration.
Misconceptions
- A striped bird on a trunk is a woodpecker. It may be this warbler.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | A few in the south | Few present | Arriving | Nesting | Nesting | Young fledging | Present | Migrants | Migrants | Last migrants | A few in the south | A few in the south |
Where it lives
Recorded in 80 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamabreeding
- Arizonain winter
- Arkansasbreeding
- Connecticutbreeding
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridain winter
- Georgia
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckybreeding
- Louisianabreeding
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandbreeding
- Massachusettsbreeding
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippibreeding
- Missouribreeding
- Nebraskabreeding
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseybreeding
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinabreeding
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomabreeding
- Pennsylvaniabreeding
- Rhode Islandbreeding
- South Carolina
- South Dakotabreeding
- Tennesseebreeding
- Texas
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiabreeding
- West Virginiabreeding
- Wisconsinbreeding
Canada
Mexico
- Aguascalientesin winter
- Baja Californiain winter
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Coahuilapassing through
- Colimain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Hidalgoin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Morelosin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosiin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Tlaxcalain winter
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
If you found one
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