Golden-winged Warbler Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Golden-winged Warblers are small songbirds with fairly slim bodies and short tails. They have a thin, straight bill that is sharply pointed.

  Relative Size

  Slightly smaller than a Black-capped Chickadee

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
• Color Pattern

  Adult males are silvery gray with a strong black-and-white face pattern, yellow crown, and large yellow patches on the wings. Females are similar but lack the male’s black mask and bib. Hybrids with the Blue-winged Warbler can produce a mostly light gray form (“Brewster’s”) or a mostly golden form (“Lawrence’s”).

• Behavior

  Golden-winged Warblers forage among the leaves and branch tips of their low, shrubby habitat. Males sing their loud, buzzy song over and over again from the tops of shrubs during early summer.

• Habitat

  Golden-winged Warblers breed in tangled, shrubby habitats such as regenerating clearcuts, wet thickets, and tamarack bogs. They often move into nearby woodland when the young have fledged. They spend winters in open woodlands and shade-coffee plantations of Central and South America.