Bird Guide

Prairie Warbler vs Townsend's Warbler

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

Recording: Peter Wilton · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Josiah Londerée · CC BY 4.0
Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi)

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Tiny9 gForest

Townsend's warbler has a yellow face with a black stripe across its cheeks extending into an ear patch, a thin pointed bill, two white wing bars, olive upperparts with black streaks on their backs and flanks, and a white belly. Adult males have a black cap, black throat and yellow lower breast; females have a dark cap and a yellow throat. Immature birds are similar to females with a dark green cap and cheeks.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: NPS Alaska · CC0
Photo: Slodocent · 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: Prairie Warbler and Townsend's Warbler.