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Prairie Warbler

Silhouette WarblersWarblers
Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Parulidae

Basic Description

The dapper black and yellow Prairie Warbler is a lively resident not of prairies, but of scrubby second-growth forests and young stands of pine. Slender and elegant, with a constantly flicking tail, the Prairie Warbler likely benefited from the mass clearing of eastern forests following European colonization of the Americas. The species has declined in some parts of its range as forests have regenerated.

More ID Info
image of range map for Prairie Warbler
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Find This Bird

Finding this bird during the breeding season is often as simple as finding the scrubby second-growth forests, young pine stands, and overgrown pastures that it prefers. In spring, listen for males singing from a mostly exposed perch in one of the tallest trees in its territory, a distinctive sputtering buzz that starts low and climbs high up the scale, beyond human hearing.

Other Names

  • Reinita Galana (Spanish)
  • Paruline des prés (French)
  • Cool Facts