Species
Black-and-white warbler
Mniotilta varia
A zebra-striped warbler that creeps along tree trunks like a nuthatch.
Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 11 to 13 cm long
- Weight
- About 8 to 15 g
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed woods
- Diet
- Insects from bark
- In Georgia
- A summer resident in the north; a migrant elsewhere; a few winter in the south
- Voice
- A thin, squeaky "wee-see wee-see"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Bold black-and-white stripes all over
- Told apart from
- Blackpoll warbler, which has a solid black cap
- Where to look
- Tree trunks and large branches
Behaviour
Black-and-white warblers creep along trunks and branches like nuthatches, probing bark for insects.
Why they matter
Black-and-white warblers are one of the earliest migrants to arrive in spring, able to find insects in bark before leaves open.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup on the ground at the base of a tree
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 10 to 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Window strikes kill many on migration.
Misconceptions
- A striped bird on a trunk is a woodpecker. It may be this warbler.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species breeds, and where it spends the rest of the year. The notes say what it is doing each month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | A few in the south | Few present | Arriving | Nesting | Nesting | Young fledging | Present | Migrants | Migrants | Last migrants | A few in the south | A few in the south |
Where it lives
Recorded in 80 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamabreeding
- Arizonain winter
- Arkansasbreeding
- Connecticutbreeding
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridain winter
- Georgia
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckybreeding
- Louisianabreeding
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandbreeding
- Massachusettsbreeding
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippibreeding
- Missouribreeding
- Nebraskabreeding
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseybreeding
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinabreeding
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomabreeding
- Pennsylvaniabreeding
- Rhode Islandbreeding
- South Carolina
- South Dakotabreeding
- Tennesseebreeding
- Texas
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiabreeding
- West Virginiabreeding
- Wisconsinbreeding
Canada
Mexico
- Aguascalientesin winter
- Baja Californiain winter
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Coahuilapassing through
- Colimain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Hidalgoin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Morelosin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosiin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Tlaxcalain winter
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
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