Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 3.9–5.9 in
10–15 cm - Wingspan
- 7.1 in
18 cm - Weight
- 0.4–0.5 oz
11–13 g
Other Names
- Paruline triste, Fauvette triste (French)
- Verderón llorón (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Both male and female Mourning Warblers pretend to have broken wings to distract predators close to their nest.
- The adult female Mourning Warbler eats the eggshells after the young hatch.
Habitat
Forest
Disturbed second-growth forested areas, with moderately closed canopy and thick understory. In winter, wet lowlands with thick vegetation.
Food
Insects
Poorly documented. Insects, insect larvae, and spiders during the breeding season. Insects and fruiting bodies on Cecropia tree leaves in winter.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- White, speckled with reddish brown and black spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with tufts of dark gray down and red mouth.
Nest Description
Open cup of grass, leaves, and bark, lined with roots, fine grasses, and hair. Usually placed on or near ground.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Gleans insects from branches of shrubs, picking prey with bill. Removes wings and legs of prey before consuming it.
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations slightly increasing in New England, stable or slightly decreasing in Canada. Given their preference for disturbed forests, Mourning Warbler populations may have benefited from various human activities that are detrimental to other birds, such as mining, forest clear-cutting, and road-building.
Credits
- Pitocchelli, J. 1993. Mourning Warbler (Oporornis philadelphia). In The Birds of North America, No. 72 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.