Blue-winged Warbler

Blue-winged Warbler, adult male

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

Brightly colored but easily overlooked. A bird of shrubland and old fields, the Blue-winged Warbler expanded its breeding grounds northward throughout the 20th century.

Description

• Small songbird.
• Head and underparts yellow.
• Black line through eye.
• Wings blue-gray with two white wingbars.

• Size: 11-12 cm (4-5 in)
• Wingspan: 15 cm (6 in)
• Weight: 9 g (0.32 ounces)

Sex Differences

Female similar to male but duller in coloration: wingbars not as pronounced, eyeline grayer, crown more olive.

Sound

Raspy "bee-buzz," like an inhale and then an exhale. Also a long high buzz with twittering notes at start and finish.

Conservation Status

Not threatened. Abandonment of farmlands increased nesting habitat, but suburban sprawl is decreasing it.

Other Names

Paruline à ailes bleues (French)
Cipe ala azul (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Hybridizes extensively with Golden-winged Warbler, giving rise to the distinctly plumaged "Brewster's" and "Lawrence's" warblers.

• The Blue-winged Warbler continues to expand its range and may be responsible for the decrease in Golden-winged Warbler populations in some areas.

Sources used to construct this page:

Gill, F. B., R. A. Canterbury, and J. L. Confer. 2001. Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus). In The Birds of North America, No. 584 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.