Upon arriving on their breeding grounds, males begin singing a high-pitched song of double notes in a chanting rhythm, weesy, weesy, weesy, weesy, weesy, weesy, with the second note slightly lower. Once nesting has begun, they become much quieter and can be harder to observe. Another song, heard more often later in the season, is faster and more variable in pitch.

Within the preferred habitat of moist mature or second-growth deciduous or mixed woodlands, Black-and-white Warblers prefer to nest on drier rocky slopes or ravines or in the drier portions of swamps. Nests are constructed in a depression on the ground, typically hidden by heavy vegetation or logs, or they may be elevated a few feet and placed on top of a stump. Four or five eggs are laid and incubated by the female. Like other ground nesting birds, she will feign injury when predators threaten the nest. Critical features of good Black-and-white Warbler habitat include large trees for foraging and dense thickets for nest concealment. The widespread Black-and-white Warbler ranges across Canada from Newfoundland to eastern British Columbia and southwest Northwest Territories, and from James Bay south through the eastern United States almost to the Gulf Coast.

Once nestlings have fledged, Black-and-white Warblers tend to disperse locally and use a broader range of habitats. Outside of the breeding season, they can be found in dry woodland and scrub and in open areas with scattered trees. Southward migration begins as early as late July and August, but it is prolonged and slow, with some lingering birds remaining in the northern states or southern Canada as late as October. Most winter from Mexico south through Central America as far as northern South America, but a few winter in Florida and along the Gulf Coast. Of the eastern warblers, the Black-and-white is among the most frequent wanderers to the West, with more than 2,000 records from California, mostly during autumn.

Description: Black-and-white Warblers are easily identified warblers with striking plumage and a distinctive foraging style much like that of the nuthatches. The head and back are boldly striped black and white. A white central crown stripe is separated from the white superciliary stripe by two thick black stripes. Wings are black with two white wing bars. Underparts are white with black streaks. Tails are black with white spots on the outer feathers. The sexes differ in appearance more than in most warbler species. Adult males have black throats and black ear coverts, separated by a white moustachial stripe, whereas females have white throats, grayish ear coverts with a thin blackish eye stripe, and less distinct streaking on the underparts. The bill is blackish, and legs are dark gray. First-year nonbreeding males resemble females.

Blackpoll Warblers (Dendroica striata) and Black-throated Gray Warblers (Dendroica nigrescens) are somewhat similar, with black streaking on white underparts and a black-and-white head. The Black-and-white Warbler, however, is the only warbler with a white median crown stripe surrounded by black stripes. The Blackpoll's crown in entirely black and encloses the eye, whereas that of the Black-throated Gray is solid black above the white superciliary stripe. The Blackpoll has dark back streaking on a gray background while the Black-throated Gray's back is gray with a few dark spots; the black-and-white striped back of the Black-and-white Warbler is unique.

Recording credits:
Black-and-White Warbler was recorded by Arthur A. Allen, Peter Paul Kellogg, and Randolph Scott Little and can be found on the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern/Central Bird Songs.