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Northern Parula

Parula americana ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: PARULIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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Northern Parula Photo

A small warbler of the upper canopy, the Northern Parula can be found in two rather distinct populations. The southern population nests primarily in hanging Spanish moss, while the northern population uses the similar-looking old man's beard lichen.

Birds of North America Online
For complete information on this species, visit The Birds of North America Online.

At a GlanceHelp

Measurements
Both Sexes
Length
4.3–4.7 in
11–12 cm
Wingspan
6.3–7.1 in
16–18 cm
Weight
0.2–0.4 oz
5–11 g
Other Names
  • Parula Warbler
  • Paruline à collier, La Fauvette parula (French)
  • Verdin silvestre, Reinita pechidorada, Bijirita chica (Spanish)

Cool Facts

  • The distribution of the Northern Parula has an unusual break north to south. It may formerly have nested in that zone, and was eradicated. Explanations for the disappearance may be changes in habitat or increasing air pollution, which limited the growth of epiphytes on trees that the warbler depended on for nesting.
  • Since the 1950s, Northern Parula has nested several times along the coastal region of northern California, far from the normal range.

Habitat


Forest

Food


Insects

Nesting

Nest Placement

Tree

Behavior


Foliage Gleaner

Conservation

status via IUCN

Least Concern

Populations appear stable or increasing.

Credits

  • Moldenhauer, R. R., and D. J. Regelski. 1996. Northern Parula (Parula americana). In The Birds of North America, No. 215 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

Range Map Help

Northern Parula Range Map
View dynamic map of eBird sightings
Project FeederWatch