Hooded Warbler

Appearance:

Length: 5.1 in
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz
Wingspan: 6.9 in

Larger than a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, smaller than a Red-eyed Vireo. Hooded Warblers are small, well-proportioned birds with a straight, sharp bill. Compared to other warblers, they are fairly heavy-bodied and thick-necked. Adult males are olive-green above and bright yellow below with a black hood and throat, a yellow forehead, and yellow cheeks. Females and immatures are also olive-green above and yellow below, but they don't have a black hood, although some adult females show an outline of a hood. Note the large black eye and white outer tail feathers that it often flashes.

Habitat:

The hooded warbler is a member of the family Parulidae, the wood warblers. They breed in deciduous woodlands with dense undergrowth. In the north, they are found in mixed hardwoods, and in the south in moist, deciduous woods, swamps, and margins of streams with brushy undergrowth. Their territories usually include small clearings or gaps where thick brush provides nest sites.

Behavior:

This warbler spends much of its time in the understory flitting between shrubs and flashing its white outer tail feathers. It tends to stay at least partially hidden in understory vegetation, jumping up to take insects or picking them from foliage.