Northern Parula

Northern Parula, male

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Northern Parula, female

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

A small warbler of the upper canopy, the Northern Parula can be found in two rather distinct populations. The southern population nests primarily in hanging Spanish moss, while the northern population uses the similar-looking old man's beard lichen.

Description

• Small songbird.
• Blue-gray hood and wings.
• Yellow chest with black and reddish band across it.
• White crescents above and below eyes.
• Green back.
• Two white wingbars.

• Size: 11-12 cm (4-5 in)
• Wingspan: 16-18 cm (6-7 in)
• Weight: 5-11 g (0.18-0.39 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but female duller and usually lacks breast bands.

Sound

Song a rising buzzy trill with a final sharp note, or a series of buzzy notes.

Conservation Status

Populations appear stable or increasing.

Other Names

Paruline à collier, La Fauvette parula (French)
Verdin silvestre, Reinita pechidorada, Bijirita chica (Spanish)
Parula Warbler (English)

Cool Facts

• The distribution of the Northern Parula has an unusual break north to south. It may formerly have nested in that zone, and was eradicated. Explanations for the disappearance may be changes in habitat or increasing air pollution, which limited the growth of epiphytes on trees that the warbler depended on for nesting.
• Since the 1950s, Northern Parula has nested several times along the coastal region of northern California, far from the normal range.

Sources used to construct this page:

Moldenhauer, R. R., and D. J. Regelski. 1996. Northern Parula (Parula americana). In The Birds of North America, No. 215 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.