Bird Guide

Canada Warbler vs Prothonotary Warbler

Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)

Canada Warbler

Cardellina canadensis

Tiny10 gForest

The Canada warbler is sometimes called the "necklaced warbler", because of the band of dark streaks across its chest. The adults have minimal sexual dimorphism, although the male's "necklace" is darker and more conspicuous and also has a longer tail. Adults are 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in) long, have a wingspan of 17–22 cm (6.7–8.7 in), and weigh 9–13 g (0.32–0.46 oz). The chest, throat, and belly of the bird are yellow, and its back is dark grey. It has no wingbars or tail spots, but the underside of the tail is white. Voice: The of this bird is loud and highly variable, resembling chip chewy sweet dichetty. Their calls are low chup's. A 2013 study showed that male Canada warblers have two performance-encoded song types. Mode I, used mostly during the day, when unpaired either alone or near a female during early nesting, involves stereotyped songs sung slowly and regularly.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Manuel cabrera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) Matt Felperin, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Felperin · cc-by
Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Tiny14 gForest

The prothonotary warbler is 13 cm (5.1 in) long, weighs a mean 14.3 g (0.50 oz), and has a wingspan of 22 cm (8.75 in). It has an olive-coloured back with blue-grey wings and tail, yellow underparts, a relatively long pointed bill, and black legs. The adult male has a bright orange-yellow head. Females and immature birds are duller and have a yellow head. In flight from below, the short, wide tail has a distinctive two-toned pattern, white at the base and dark at the tip.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Tom Austin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Benjamin Smith from United States · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Canada Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler.