Species

Cerulean warbler

Setophaga cerulea

A sky-blue warbler of the tallest forest canopy, one of the fastest-declining warblers in North America.

Photo Willem Span (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 11 to 12 cm long
Weight: About 8 to 10 g
Habitat: Tall deciduous forests, often on slopes and ridges
Diet: Insects
In Georgia: A rare summer resident in the north Georgia mountains; an uncommon migrant
Voice: A rapid, buzzy, rising song
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Males sky-blue above, white below, with a thin dark necklace; females blue-green with a pale eyebrow
Told apart from: Black-throated blue warbler, which is darker blue with a black throat
Where to look: The canopy of tall mountain forests in May and June

Behaviour

Cerulean warblers forage very high in the canopy and are more often heard than seen.

Why they matter

Cerulean warblers have declined by about 70 per cent since the 1960s because of forest loss in their breeding and wintering ranges. They need large, mature forests with tall trees.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup high on a branch
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 11 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Large blocks of mature forest protect them.

Misconceptions

Birds high in trees are safe from people. Forest clearing affects even canopy birds.

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
	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 the Andes	In the Andes	In the Andes	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Young fledging	Migrating	Last migrants	In the Andes	In the Andes	In the Andes

Where it lives

Recorded in 34 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.

I found an animal