Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.1–5.5 in
13–14 cm - Wingspan
- 9.1 in
23 cm - Weight
- 0.4–0.7 oz
11–20 g
Other Names
- Paruline de Swainson (French)
- Verdín de Swainson, Reinita de Swainson (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- One of the Swainson's Warbler wintering grounds is in the dry limestone forests of Jamaica. During the dry season some birds have trouble finding food there. Because the Swainson's Warbler digs under the leaf litter for insects, it is less affected by the dryness than birds foraging in the forest canopy or on the surface of the ground.
- The Swainson's Warbler holds a large territory for such a small bird, defending between 3 to 18 ha (7.4-44.5 acres). Measuring exact territory size is difficult, however, because of the extremely dense and vine-entangled habitat used for breeding.
- The Swainson's Warbler flies directly from perch to perch instead of hopping through the branches like most warblers. It often flies directly across its territory, from one side to the other without stopping in between. On the ground it walks rapidly and rarely hops.
- The Swainson's Warbler is commonly found in thickets of giant cane, and some researchers have suggested that the plant is essential for the species to nest. Recent work shows, however, that the warbler nests in lowland areas where cane is rare or absent. More important than the exact type of understory plants present is the presence of a thick understory with vine "tents" and tangles, and small shaded glades carpeted with leaf litter.
Habitat
Forest
- Breeds in southern forests with thick undergrowth, especially canebrakes and floodplain forests in lowlands and rhododendron-mountain laurel in Appalachians.
- Winters in tropical scrub, evergreen, and gallery forests.
Food
Insects
Insects and spiders.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- White, usually unmarked, but may have faint reddish brown spotting.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless and naked.
Nest Description
Nest a cup of dried leaves, sticks and vines placed low in shrub or vines. Lined with pine needles, hair, grass, Spanish moss, or fern stems.
Nest Placement
Shrub
Behavior
Ground Forager
Forages on ground, probing under leaves and flipping leaves. Frequently sticks its bill into a curled leaf and opens its bill to spread the leaf apart.
Conservation
Least Concern
Difficult to assess population numbers, but extreme habitat specificity puts species at risk from habitat loss, both on breeding and wintering grounds. Listed on the Audubon Watchlist
Credits
- Brown, R. E., and J. G. Dickson. 1994. Swainson's Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii). In The Birds of North America, No. 126 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
- Graves, G. R. 2002. Habitat characteristics in the core breeding range of the Swainson's Warbler. Wilson Bulletin 114: 210-220.
- Strong, A. M., and T. W. Sherry. 2001. Body condition of Swainson's Warblers wintering in Jamaica and the conservation value of Caribbean dry forests. Wilson Bulletin 113: 410-418.