Wilson's Warbler
Cardellina pusilla
Males are easily identified by their distinct black 'cap' of feathers, which they flare during territorial displays.
- Scientific name
- Cardellina pusilla
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Parulidae › Cardellina
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Wet thickets, willow and alder carrs, and montane riparian zones.
- Diet
- Primarily insects and spiders; occasionally berries.
- Range
- Canada, Western USA, Mexico, Central America
- Size
- 10-12 cm length, 14-17 cm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 3-6 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat degradation of riparian corridors, climate change, and window collisions.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Observe these active birds from a distance using binoculars to avoid disturbing their foraging or nesting. Keep pets on leashes in riparian areas. If a bird is found stunned from a window strike, place it in a ventilated dark box and contact a wildlife rehabilitator.
Wilson's warbler ( Cardellina pusilla ) is a small New World warbler. It is greenish above and yellow below, with rounded wings and a long, slim tail. The male has a black crown patch; depending on the subspecies, that mark is reduced or absent in the female. It breeds across Canada and south through the western United States, and winters from Mexico south through much of Central America. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.
Photo: Michael Woodruff, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/5a9feae0-ae08-4d83-a92a-300a26885e03.md