Cerulean Warbler

Cerulean Warbler, male

About the photographs

About the map

Play sound from this species

Cerulean Warbler, female

Menu

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

A small bird of the deciduous forest treetops, the sky-blue Cerulean Warbler is hard to see. It nests and forages higher in the canopy than most other warblers.

Description

• Small warbler.
• Two broad white wingbars.
• Solidly colored back (sky-blue in male, blue-green in female) with stripes of same color down sides of white chest.

• Size: 11 cm (4 in)
• Wingspan: 20 cm (8 in)
• Weight: 8-10 g (0.28-0.35 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male bright sky blue. Female blue-green.

Sound

Buzzy notes ending in a higher pitched trill, "zee zee zee zizizizi eeet."

Conservation Status

Cerulean Warbler is one of the species of highest concern in the eastern United States because of a small total population size and significant declines throughout its range. Under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Listed on the Audubon Watchlist .

Other Names

Paruline azurée (French)
Pijirita azulosa, Verdín azulada, Gorjeador ceruleo, Chipe ceruléo, Reinita cerúlea (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• On the wintering grounds in South America the Cerulean Warbler usually is found in mixed-species foraging flocks, associating with tropical tanagers and other resident species.

• When renesting after a failed first nest, the female often uses spider web from the old nest to start construction on the new nest. Fresh lining is gathered for the new nest, but spider web may be too valuable and time-consuming to waste.

• The female Cerulean Warbler has an unusual way of leaving a nest after sitting on it a while. Some people call it "bungee-jumping." She drops from the side of the nest, keeping her wings folded to her sides, and opens her wings to fly only when she is well below the nest.

Sources used to construct this page:

Hamel, P. B. 2000. Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea). In The Birds of North America, No. 557 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.