Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 3.5–4.7 in
9–12 cm - Weight
- 0.2–0.3 oz
5–8 g
Other Names
- Paruline de Lucy (French)
- Chipe rabadilla rufa, Gusanero de Lucy, Chipe rabadillicastño (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Lucy's Warbler is one of only two warblers that breeds in cavities. (The Prothonotary Warbler is the other.) If using a woodpecker hole, the warbler may fill the cavity nearly to the top with debris and put the nest on top so the bird can see out.
- The Lucy's Warbler nests in some of the densest aggregations of any warbler: up to 12.5 pairs/ha (5 pairs/acre). In the highest density areas the close proximity of singing males makes censusing them nearly impossible because their songs overlap so much.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Breeds in riparian mesquite woodlands.
Food
Insects
Insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–7 eggs
- Egg Description
- White with fine reddish spots concentrated at large end.
- Condition at Hatching
- Naked and helpless.
Nest Description
Nest in cavity, well woven of twigs, weed stalks, straw, mesquite leaf stems, lined with fine bark, plant fibers, hair, and feathers. Nest placed behind loose bark of tree or in cavities in trees or cactus. Also in abandoned Verdin nests. Does not use nest boxes.
Nest Placement
Cavity
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Forages in tops of mesquite trees and at the ends of branches. Catches and shakes caterpillars before swallowing.
Conservation
Least Concern
Loss of riparian habitat responsible for the extirpation of some populations and the overall decrease across the breeding range.
Credits
- Johnson, R. R., H. K. Yard, and B. T. Brown. 1997. Lucy's Warbler (Vermivora luciae). In The Birds of North America, No. 318 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.