Worm-eating Warbler

Worm-eating Warbler, adult, spring

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

A small, drab, but elegantly marked bird of the eastern deciduous forests, the Worm-eating Warbler is often found on steep slopes with dense understory. True to its name, it feeds largely on caterpillars ("worms").

Description

• Small songbird.
• Head and underparts buffy.
• Black crown stripes and stripe through eye.

• Size: 11-13 cm (4-5 in)
• Weight: 12-14 g (0.42-0.49 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes alike.

Sound

Song a rapid, dry trill, often insect-like.

Conservation Status

Dependence on large forests for nesting make it vulnerable to population decreases. Populations seem stable across United States. Listed on the Audubon Watchlist.

Other Names

Paruline vermivore (French)
Chipe gusanero (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Late in incubation the female Worm-eating Warbler sits so tight on her nest that only touching her will flush her. Her cryptic coloring makes immobility a safe strategy. If she is flushed, she will flutter across the ground with her wings and tail spread, acting helpless to lure predators away from the nest.

• Young Worm-eating Warblers typically leave their nest 8-10 days after hatching. Chicks as young as five days old have been observed leaving the nest and surviving, although they cannot fly at that age.

• Although the Worm-eating Warbler forages in the understory near the ground and nests on the ground, it does not spend much time on the forest floor. It does not forage there, and when on the ground it hops instead of walking.

Sources used to construct this page:

Hanners, L. A., and S. R. Patton. 1998. Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorus). In The Birds of North America, No. 367 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.