Canada Warbler

Canada Warbler, adult male, breeding plumage

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Canada Warbler, adult female

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Sound
4. Range
5. Conservation Status
6. Other Names

A colorful, active warbler of northern forests, the Canada Warbler spends little time on its breeding grounds. It is one of the last warblers to arrive north in the spring, and one of the first to leave in the fall, heading early to its South American wintering grounds.

Cool Facts

• Not much is known about the mating system of the Canada Warbler, but it appears to be monogamous. The observation of male-female pairs in Panama during fall and spring migration suggests that the pair may stay together year round.

Description

• Size: 12-15 cm (5-6 in)
• Wingspan: 17-22 cm (7-9 in)
• Weight: 9-13 g (0.32-0.46 ounces)

• Small songbird.
• Throat, chest, and belly yellow.
• Back dark gray.
• Necklace of dark streaks across chest.
• Undertail white.
• White eyering.
• Yellow line in front of eyes.
• No wingbars or tail spots.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but female duller, with less distinct black marking on head and breast. Male with black necklace, sides of face, and forehead.

Immature

Immature similar to adult, but duller and with less distinct breast streaking and facial pattern.

Sound

Song clear and loud, starting with a chip, followed by a series of short warbling notes.

Range

Range Map

© 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

About the map

Summer Range

Breeds across Canada from eastern British Columbia to Nova Scotia, southward to eastern Minnesota, northern Michigan, and Connecticut, and farther southward in mountains to northern Georgia.

Winter Range

Winters in northern South America.

Conservation Status

Declining across much of range.

Other Names

Paruline du Canada, Fauvette du Canada (French)
Chipe de collar, Silvia del Canadá, Reinita pechirrayada, Chipe collarejo, Reinita collareja (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Conway, C. J. 1999. Canada Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis). In The Birds of North America, No. 421 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.