Species

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapilla

A ground-walking warbler that builds a domed nest like an old outdoor oven and shouts 'teacher-teacher-teacher'.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Nesting

At a glance

Size: About 11 to 14 cm long
Weight: About 16 to 28 g
Habitat: Mature deciduous forests with open floors
Diet: Insects, spiders and snails from leaf litter
In Georgia: A summer resident in the north; a migrant statewide
Voice: A loud, rising "teacher-teacher-teacher"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Olive-brown above; white below with bold black spots; orange crown stripe edged in black; white eye-ring
Told apart from: Wood thrush, which is larger and rusty
Told apart from: Waterthrushes, which have eyebrows and bob their tails
Where to look: Walking on the forest floor in mature woods

Behaviour

Ovenbirds walk on the forest floor, flipping leaves for insects. Their domed nest, with a side entrance, looks like a small Dutch oven.

Why they matter

Ovenbirds need large, unbroken forests; in small woodlots, many nests are lost to predators. They are one of the best-studied examples of how forest fragmentation affects songbirds.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A domed cup of leaves on the forest floor with a side entrance
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 11 to 14 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Ovenbirds often strike windows during migration.

Misconceptions

Warblers live in treetops. Ovenbirds live on the forest floor.

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 Central America and the Caribbean	In the tropics	In the tropics	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Young fledging	Present	Migrating	Last migrants	In the tropics	In the tropics

Where it lives

Recorded in 69 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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