# Northern Parula

*Setophaga americana*

The Northern Parula often builds its nest directly inside hanging clumps of Spanish moss or Old Man's Beard lichen, creating a perfectly camouflaged swinging cradle.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Parulidae › Setophaga
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Mature coniferous and deciduous forests, often near water or swamps with abundant hanging moss or lichens.
- **Diet:** Primarily insects like beetles, caterpillars, and spiders; occasionally berries in winter.
- **Range:** Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada, Central America, Caribbean
- **Size:** Length: 11cm; Weight: 8g
- **Lifespan:** Approximately 7 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, loss of nesting epiphytes (Spanish moss/Usnea), and window collisions during migration.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and shy. Best observed with binoculars as they forage high in the canopy. Maintain a respectful distance to avoid disrupting their rapid foraging or nesting activities; if you find a nest, do not approach it.

## About

The northern parula ( Setophaga americana ) is a small New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/1ff98ebf-6270-44a3-bfb5-34a25f8b0137
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/145233
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setophaga americana
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/36806/medium.jpg (Dan Pancamo, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.