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Wilson's Warbler

At a Glance

Scientific Name: Cardellina pusilla

Population: 76 million
Trend: ! Decreasing
Habitat: Breeds in riparian thickets and
low, shrubby areas; winters in a variety of
Neotropical habitats

Wilson's Warbler range map by

NatureServe

The small, sprightly Wilson's Warbler is

seemingly always in motion, flicking its
wings and waggling its tail up and down
and in circles. Aside from its ceaseless
activity, this little warbler can also be told
by its bright yellow underside and face,
set off by an olive-green back and wings.
In addition, the male Wilson's has a jet-
black cap resembling a beret.

Its genus name Cardellina is an Italian

diminutive of cardella, which means
"goldfinch," referring to the warbler's eye-
catching yellow color, which may fool
some viewers into identifying it as an
American Goldfinch. Its species name
pusilla means tiny — at 4.5 inches long,
it's one of the smallest North American
warblers.

The Wilson's Warbler was first described

in 1811 by the American ornithologist
Alexander Wilson, after whom the
Wilson's Plover and Wilson's Snipe,
among others, are also named.

Black-capped Warbler

The Wilson's Warbler could also be called

the "Thicket Warbler” because it nests
mostly in low, dense stands of willows,
alders, and other trees and shrubs, like
the Yellow Warbler and Orange-crowned
Warbler. Of course, with the male's
diagnostic beret, the species could be re-
named the “Black-capped Warbler” as
well.

It's no coincidence that the three species

named above have breeding ranges
extending farther north than those of
most other warblers. Their affinity for
open nesting habitats enable these birds
to breed across most of Canada and
Alaska, north into the stunted transition
zone between boreal forest and tundra.

Wide-ranging Warbler

In the case of the Wilson's Warbler, this

canary-yellow songbird breeds from
Alaska's Aleutian Islands east to Canada's
Atlantic provinces of Newfoundland and
Nova Scotia. In the West, its range
extends south through much of the Rocky
Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, and
down the West Coast to southern
California (where some also winter).

A short- to medium-distance migrant, the

Wilson's mostly winters in Mexico and
Central America, but some ride out the
cold months in the United States along the
Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, as well
as in southern California. On tropical
wintering grounds, Wilson's Warblers are
among many Neotropical migrant species,
including Blackburnian Warbler and
Wood Thrush, found mingling with
resident birds in insect-rich shade-coffee
plantations. There, they frequent not only
the tall shade trees but also, at times, the
coffee plants themselves.

Three subspecies of Wilson's Warbler are

currently recognized, based on plumage
color, cap size, and body size. Western
birds show the brightest yellow plumage.
Interestingly, eastern and western
breeding populations have diverged
genetically and may eventually be
recognized as separate species, although
the Interior West population has
characteristics intermediate between the
two.

The Wilson's Warbler's lively song is a

rapid series of chattering notes, often
descending a bit at the end. It also has a
distinctive sharp chip or zip call familiar to
birders regularly encountering this at-
times skulking bird. On wintering grounds,
this call is the best way to locate the
species by voice.

“Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) · Son…

xeno-canto
RICK SHARLOCH

00:00 00:00

1. “Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) · …

2. “Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) · … 0:27

(Audio: Wilson's Warbler song by Rick Sharloch, XC511436.

Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/511436. Wilson's Warbler

call by Peter Boesman, XC322975. Accessible at www.xeno-

canto.org/322975.)

Invertebrate Hunter

Like most wood-warblers, the Wilson's

Warbler is insectivorous. It feeds on adult
and larval insects, including leafhoppers,
bees, mayflies, beetles, and caterpillars,
as well as spiders. It occasionally eats
berries, particularly during the winter.

The Wilson's Warbler is an active forager,

gleaning high and low among leafy
vegetation, hovering to pluck prey from
the outer branches of a tree or shrub, or
dashing out from a perch like a tiny
Willow Flycatcher to seize an insect from
the air.

Male Wilson's Warbler, by Robert L.

Kothenbeutel/Shutterstock

Mostly Monogamous

The Wilson's Warbler is seasonally

monogamous, although polygyny (when a
male mates with more than one female)
may be fairly common in mountain
populations. In good habitat, this warbler
can be found nesting in loose groups with
overlapping territories.

The female Wilson's Warbler usually

builds her cup-shaped nest of leaves,
moss, and rootlets on the ground at the
base of a shrub or small tree, concealed
by dense vegetation. The Pacific coast
population is an exception, usually nesting
several feet above the ground amid thick
tangles of vines or shrubbery.

The female lays a clutch of four to six

eggs and does most of the incubation.
Both parents feed the young, which fledge
when they are about 10 days old. Western
populations of the Wilson's Warbler are
commonly parasitized by the Brown-
headed Cowbird.

Conserving a Common Species

Although still common, the Wilson's

Warbler has experienced widespread
population declines, particularly in the
West, primarily due to loss of riparian
habitat.

Partners in Flight rates the Wilson's as a

Common Species in Steep Decline, along
with the Common Grackle, Northern
Bobwhite, Cactus Wren, and others.

The Wilson's Warbler also faces threats

from pesticides (particularly herbicides
used to clear brush) and is often a victim
of collisions with man-made structures.

ABC's BirdScapes approach helps

conserve the Wilson's Warbler and other
migratory birds across their full annual
life-cycle. ABC also has several initiatives
in place to tackle threats. These include
our Collisions program, which offers
multiple solutions to pervasive challenges
faced by birds transiting our built-up
landscapes.

Donate today to help us save Wilson's

Warblers and their habitats throughout the
Americas!

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