Bird Guide

Hooded Warbler vs Prairie Warbler

Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)

Hooded Warbler

Setophaga citrina

Tiny11 gForest

The hooded warbler is a small bird and mid-sized warbler, measuring 13 cm (5.1 in) in length and weighing 9–12 g (0.32–0.42 oz). The hooded warbler has a wingspan of 6.9 in (17.5 cm). It has a plain olive/green-brown back and yellow underparts. Their outer rectrices have whitish vanes. Males have distinctive black hoods which surround their yellow faces; the female has an olive-green cap which does not extend to the forehead, ears, and throat. Males attain their hood at about 9–12 months of age; younger birds are essentially identical to (and easily confused with) females.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Hooded Warbler
Recorded by Philip Vanbergen · Song · Clark Creek Natural Area, Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)

Prairie Warbler

Setophaga discolor

Tiny8 gShrubland

These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks. In males, the back is olive green with chestnut or rufuos streaks. A black stripe runs through the eye, and another black stripe runs from the beak down the throat. This semicircular stripe gives them a distinctive "tired" look. They have two faint wing bars. Their tails have large white areas, and they have dark legs. Coloring is duller in females and immature birds, and streaks are fainter or absent. The subspecies S. d. paludicola is also duller overall. Voice: Prairie warblers have two categories of songs, referred to as Type A and Type B. Type A songs are typically a series of ascending buzzy notes. The B songs are an ascending series of whistled notes that often contain some buzzy notes. Compared to A songs, the B songs are lower in pitch and have fewer, longer notes. The total song length is longer as well in Type B songs.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Prairie Warbler
Recorded by Peter Wilton · Song · Hanscom Field, Concord, Massachusetts, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Josiah Londerée · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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