David Ballard, artist
By Casey First
The Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) is a petite and energetic bird with striking and contrasting colors that demands one’s attention. The male has an imposing jet-black hood surrounding a beautiful, bright yellow face which resembles a mask. Females and juveniles show only a shadow of this hood, but their bodies are a much brighter yellow. The citrina part of its Latin name references this yellow coloring. They also have flashing, white outer tail feathers which they love to flick about—a key feature of the Hooded Warbler and something you will see if you are lucky enough to catch one out in the open.
They breed in eastern North America from the Midwest south to northern Florida and from eastern Texas to the Atlantic Seaboard. When not visiting us during the warmer months, they winter in parts of southern Florida, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Primarily an insectivore, the Hooded Warbler gleans (picks up from vegetation) a wide variety of insects including caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, beetles and flies. These forest acrobats can sometimes be found hanging upside down on the trunk of a tree, probing into bark in search of a tasty morsel or balancing on one foot on a swaying sapling eyeing a passing fly. They catch them unawares mid-air in a foraging technique called “hawking.” More often though, they can be seen skirting rather quickly on the ground between branches while fanning and flicking their tails to expose insects underneath the leaves and debris on the forest canopy floor.
Because of their tendency to stay low on the ground and in the forest understory, you most likely won’t see them readily approach a backyard bird feeder. Instead, If you live in a wooded area or close to a wooded edge, you can look for the signature markings or listen for their loud and unmistakably melodious songs. If you do hear them, it’s the male you are hearing as the females are not thought to sing. Their emphatic song is composed of four to five notes and rings out across the sky as a clear weeta-weeta-weet-tee-o. Their call is metallic and equally loud—a very short chip.
The Hooded Warbler is a member of the family Parulidae, the Wood Warblers, and they are found in mature, deciduous forests with dense undergrowth. In the northern parts of the US, they are found in mixed hardwood forests. In the extreme southern states, they are in moist, deciduous woods and swampy areas. After visiting us during the summer months, they migrate to more southern climes and habitats consisting of lowland tropical forests, scrubs and brushy fields.
They like to build their nests near the edges of forests in dense shrubbery and they usually place their nests just a couple of feet above the ground. Females will typically lay about three to five eggs per brood and have only one brood per year. An interesting fact is that the Brown-headed Cowbirds will frequently lay their eggs in the nests of the Hooded Warbler—a behavior called parasitism. Once these birds hatch, the Hooded Warblers will raise them as their own, if they are lucky enough to survive.
Due to excellent nesting success and adaptability, Hooded Warblers are very common and quite abundant. Unlike many other species over the last 50 years, their population may have increased, ornithologists say. Therefore, these species are of low conservation concern and will continue to be a summertime treat for all of us here in the eastern United States.
Casey First is owner of North Asheville Wild Birds Unlimited, located at 946 Merrimon Avenue, Suite 120. Monthly bird events are free and open to the public, with no registration required. To learn more, visit NorthAsheville.wbu.com. Artist David Ballard lives in Candler. Find his work on Instagram at d.ballard.art.
