Black-throated Blue Warbler
Setophaga caerulescens
The Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) is a common new world warbler found in 34 countries, weighing about 10 g. The black-throated blue warbler is a small passerine bird of the New World warbler family.
About the Black-throated Blue Warbler
The black-throated blue warbler 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 has a black face and cheeks, deep blue upperparts and white underparts, while the adult female is olive-brown above and light yellow below.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The black-throated blue warbler measures 13 cm (5.1 in) in length and weighs 8.4–12.4 g (0.30–0.44 oz). Wingspan ranges from 7.5–7.9 in (19–20 cm). This is a strongly sexually dimorphic bird. The adult male has white underparts with a black throat, face and flanks. The upperparts are deep blue. The immature male is similar, but with greener upperparts. The female has olive-brown upperparts and light yellow underparts with darker wings and tail, gray crown and brown patches on the cheek. Both sexes have a thin pointed bill and small white wing patches which are not always visible.
What the Black-throated Blue Warbler sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Portugal, Iceland, Dominica, Ecuador, St. Barthélemy.
When to see it
Best months: April, May, June, July, September, October, with peak activity in May. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black-throated Blue Warbler?
- The black-throated blue warbler measures 13 cm (5.1 in) in length and weighs 8.4–12.4 g (0.30–0.44 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black-throated Blue Warbler?
- The Black-throated Blue Warbler is a tiny sized bird weighing about 10 g.
- Where can you see a Black-throated Blue Warbler?
- The Black-throated Blue Warbler occurs in 34 countries, including the United States, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
- What does a Black-throated Blue Warbler sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Black-throated Blue Warbler on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Black-throated Blue Warbler?
- The Black-throated Blue Warbler is most easily confused with the Blackburnian Warbler, the Blackpoll Warbler and the Yellow-throated Warbler.
- Is the Black-throated Blue Warbler endangered?
- The Black-throated Blue Warbler is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black-throated Blue Warbler for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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