Species
Blackpoll warbler
Setophaga striata
A small warbler that flies non-stop over the Atlantic for up to three days on its autumn migration.
Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 13 to 15 cm long
- Weight
- About 12 to 13 g, nearly doubling before migration
- Habitat
- Treetops on migration
- Diet
- Insects
- In Georgia
- A common spring migrant; rare in autumn
- Voice
- A very high, thin "tsit-tsit-tsit"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Spring males with a black cap, white cheeks and black streaks; autumn birds greenish with streaks and yellow feet
- Told apart from
- Black-and-white warbler, which has a striped crown
- Where to look
- Treetops in May
Behaviour
Blackpoll warblers fatten before migrating, then fly over the Atlantic from the northeast coast to South America.
Why they matter
Blackpoll warblers make one of the longest non-stop overwater flights of any songbird, up to about 2,500 km in two to three days.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup in a spruce
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 11 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Window strikes are common on migration.
Misconceptions
- Small birds cannot cross oceans. Blackpoll warblers do every autumn.
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 | In South America | In South America | In South America | Migrating north | Migrants in Georgia | Nesting in the far north | Nesting | Moving to the northeast coast | Crossing the Atlantic | Crossing the Atlantic | In South America | In South America |
Where it lives
Recorded in 59 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamapassing through
- Alaskabreeding
- Arkansaspassing through
- Californiapassing through
- Coloradopassing through
- Connecticutpassing through
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridapassing through
- Georgiapassing through
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckypassing through
- Louisianapassing through
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandpassing through
- Massachusettspassing through
- Michiganpassing through
- Minnesotapassing through
- Mississippipassing through
- Missouripassing through
- Montanapassing through
- Nebraskapassing through
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseypassing through
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinapassing through
- North Dakotapassing through
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomapassing through
- Pennsylvaniapassing through
- Rhode Islandpassing through
- South Carolinapassing through
- South Dakotapassing through
- Tennesseepassing through
- Texaspassing through
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiapassing through
- West Virginiapassing through
- Wisconsinpassing through
- Wyomingpassing through
Canada
If you found one
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