Species

Northern parula

Setophaga americana

A tiny, blue-grey warbler with a yellow throat that nests in hanging Spanish moss.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

Nesting

At a glance

Size: About 11 to 12 cm long
Weight: About 5 to 11 g
Habitat: Moist forests with Spanish moss or old-man's-beard lichen, swamps and river bottoms
Diet: Insects and spiders
In Georgia: A common summer resident, March to October
Voice: A rising, buzzy trill ending in a "zip"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Blue-grey above; yellow throat and breast; green patch on the back; white eye crescents; males with a dark breast band
Told apart from: Yellow-throated warbler, which has a black-and-white face
Where to look: Oaks and cypresses hung with Spanish moss

Behaviour

Northern parulas build their nests inside clumps of hanging Spanish moss or lichen.

Why they matter

Northern parulas are one of the most common warblers in Georgia's southern swamps. Their dependence on moss and lichen ties them to humid, clean-air forests.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A pocket inside hanging Spanish moss or lichen
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 12 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Leaving Spanish moss on trees gives them nest sites.

Misconceptions

Spanish moss harms trees. It is not a parasite and gives parulas somewhere to nest.

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 Caribbean and Central America	In the tropics	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Second broods	Young fledging	Present	Migrants	Last birds	In the tropics	In the tropics

Where it lives

Recorded in 54 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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