Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family PARULIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

Distinctive in both plumage and behavior, the Black-and-white Warbler forages for insects while creeping along the trunks and branches of trees. Common in summer throughout the eastern United States and Canada, it has an unusually extensive winter range that extends from Florida to Venezuela and Colombia.

Cool Facts

• The Black-and-white Warbler has an unusually long hind toe and claw on each foot. This adaptation allows it to move securely on the surface of tree bark.

• Unusually aggressive for a warbler, the Black-and-white Warbler sometimes attacks and fights Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Tennessee Warbler, and other species.

Description

• Size: 11-13 cm (4-5 in)
• Wingspan: 18-22 cm (7-9 in)
• Weight: 8-15 g (0.28-0.53 ounces)

• Small warbler.
• Black-and-white striped plumage.
• Striped crown.

• Two white wingbars.
• Bill slightly down-curved.
• Creeps along tree trunks and branches like nuthatches.
• White spots in tail.
• Eyes dark brown.
• Legs dark gray with yellow soles of feet.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but face and throat are black in male, white in female.

Male

Strongly contrasting black-and-white stripes on head and upperparts. Two white wingbars. White eyestripe. Eyering white. Lores and ear patch black. Throat black. Underparts white with bold black streaks.

Female

Striped on crown and upperparts, with moderate contrast between black and white. Cheeks, chin, and throat dull whitish or gray. Underparts mostly white, with gray streaks, mostly on flanks.

Immature

Similar to adult female.

Similar Species

• No other small, striped black-and-white bird in North America creeps along tree trunks and branches.
• Blackpoll Warbler has solid black cap and white cheek

Sound

Song a series of very high, two-syllable phrases, resembling the sound of a squeaky wheel; "wee-see-wee-see-wee-see." Call note is a sharp chip.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from southeastern Yukon to Newfoundland, southward to South Dakota, Texas, and northern Georgia.

Winter Range

Winters near the coasts of the southeastern United States, Bermuda, and many islands in the Caribbean, throughout most of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.

Habitat

Breeds in mature and second-growth deciduous and mixed forests. Winters in variety of habitats from disturbed areas to mature forests.

Food

Caterpillars, adult insects, and spiders.

Behavior

Foraging

Hops and creeps on tree trunks and branches, picking insects from bark; also gleans from leaves.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Open cup of dry leaves, grass, bark, and pine needles, lined with fine grasses, horsehair, and moss, usually placed on ground next to a tree.

Egg Description

White, speckled with brown and light purple.

Clutch Size

Usually 5 eggs. Range: 4-6.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless, pink skin and dark gray down.

Conservation Status

Widespread and abundant.

Other Names

Paruline noir et blanc; Fauvette noire et blanche (French)
Chipe trepador; Reinita trepadora; Verdin trepadora; Mezelilla (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Kricher, J. C. 1995. Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia). In The Birds of North America, No. 158 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.