Wildlife Clinic

Species

Black-throated green warbler

Setophaga virens

A green-backed warbler with a yellow face and black throat, singing 'zee-zee-zoo-zee' in mountain forests.

A male black-throated green warbler perched on a twig, with a bright yellow face, an olive-green crown and back, a black throat and bib and white wing bars.

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 12 cm long
Weight
About 8 to 11 g
Habitat
Conifers and mixed forests
Diet
Insects
In Georgia
A summer resident in the mountains; a common migrant
Voice
A buzzy "zee-zee-zoo-zee"
Rabies vector
No

Identification

Key marks
Yellow face; black throat; olive-green back; white belly
Told apart from
Blackburnian warbler, which has an orange throat
Where to look
Mountain forests in summer; treetops during migration

Behaviour

Black-throated green warblers forage in the middle and upper parts of trees.

Why they matter

Black-throated green warblers are a common voice of mountain forests, including the hemlock forests threatened by the woolly adelgid.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup in a conifer
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

  • Protecting mountain hemlocks helps them.

Misconceptions

  • All green birds are parrots. Several warblers are green.

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.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
BreedingJan: noFeb: noMar: noApr: noMay: noJun: noJul: noAug: noSep: noOct: noNov: noDec: no
Active nestsJan: noFeb: noMar: noApr: noMay: noJun: noJul: noAug: noSep: noOct: noNov: noDec: no
NotesIn Central AmericaIn Central AmericaIn Central AmericaArrivingNestingNestingYoung fledgingMigrantsMigrantsLast migrantsIn Central AmericaIn Central America

Where it lives

Recorded in 62 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

If you found one

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