Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 4.3–4.7 in
11–12 cm - Wingspan
- 7.9–8.3 in
20–21 cm - Weight
- 0.3–0.5 oz
9–13 g
Other Names
- Paruline à gorge orangée (French)
- Verdín pasajero (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- No other North American warbler has an orange throat.
- The Blackburnian Warbler is territorial on its breeding grounds and solitary in the winter. It forms flocks only during migration.
- Although the Blackburnian Warbler does not associate with other birds while it is nesting, it will join foraging flocks of chickadees, kinglets, and nuthatches after the young fledge. The warbler will follow the mixed flock with its begging young. The begging of the warbler chicks can even attract chickadees.
Habitat
Forest
- Breeds in mature coniferous and mixed coniferous/deciduous forests.
- Winters in montane forests.
Food
Insects
Insects and spiders.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- White or greenish white with brown spots and blotches.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with tufts of down.
Nest Description
Open cup of twigs, bark, plant fibers, and rootlets held to branch with spider web. Lined with lichens, moss, hair, and dead pine needles. Placed near tip of branch of conifer.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Gleans insects on small branches high in tree.
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations stable.
Credits
- Dunn, J. L., and Garrett, K. L. 1997. A Field Guide to Warblers of North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
- Morse, D. H. 1994. Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca). In The Birds of North America, No. 102 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.