Black-throated Blue Warbler
Setophaga caerulescens
The male and female look so different that early 19th-century ornithologists originally classified them as two distinct species.
- Scientific name
- Setophaga caerulescens
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Parulidae › Setophaga
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Interior of deciduous and mixed forests with a dense shrubby understory, often in mountainous terrain.
- Diet
- Primarily insectivorous, consuming caterpillars, beetles, and spiders; supplements with berries and nectar during winter.
- Range
- Eastern North America, Caribbean Islands, Central America
- Size
- Length: 13 cm; Wingspan: 20 cm; Weight: 10 g
- Lifespan
- 7-10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Forest fragmentation, window collisions during migration, and loss of wintering habitat in the Caribbean.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Observe from a distance with binoculars to avoid disturbing nesting or foraging. If you find one dazed near a window, place it in a dark, ventilated box and contact a local wildlife rehabilitator.
The black-throated blue warbler ( Setophaga caerulescens ) is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family. Its breeding ranges are located in the interior of deciduous and mixed coniferous forests in eastern North America. Over the cooler months, it migrates to islands in the Caribbean and Central America. It is very rarely found in western Europe, where it is considered to be a non-indigenous species. The black-throated blue warbler is sexually dimorphic; the adult male...
Photo: Fyn Kynd, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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