North American Bird Search Box
This search box can be used to find bird species using bird's english, french or latin name, or to identify bird by its 4 letter Alpha Code
Field Guide for all the Birds of North America
Black-throated Green Warbler
4 Letter (english names) Alpha Code: BTNW (1)
Paruline à gorge noire
Setophaga virens
Information, images and range maps on over 1,000 birds of North America, including sub-species, vagrants, introduced birds and possibilities
Species: The Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) is one of the most common warblers seen in North America. Like all other warblers, the Black-throated Green Warbler feeds on insects. Its habitat can be a mix of deciduous and coniferous or coniferous alone. A study has shown this warbler will share the same nesting territory with the Cape May Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler and Bay-breasted Warbler. This is very unusual but it seems that these warbler species all find their food from different parts of the tree. Warblers with similar looks are the Golden-cheeked Warbler, Townsend's Warbler and Hermit Warbler, all showing yellow face markings in various amounts.
Distinctions: The male has a yellow face with greenish-yellow auriculars. It has a black chin, throat and wings, with black streaking on its flanks. It has an olive green crown, nape and back. The breast is white with a tint of yellow near the tail. Both sexes have two white wingbars. The female and the juvenile may have a partial black throat or not at all. Their colours may be duller, such as the streaking on their flanks and off-white or slightly yellow breast.
Voice: Chipping call, thin sounding notes, sound like "zee, zeee, zee, zoo, zee", continuous calling.
Nesting: Three to five white coloured eggs, with brown markings. The nest is usually constructed in a conifer, situated away from the trunk. The nest maybe composed of rootlets, leaves, moss and lined with fine grasses and hair.
Life, Habitat & Pictures of the North American Warblers
| B L | W W | W | Family | Latin Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5" 12.7cm | 7.75" 19.7cm | 0.35oz 9.9g | Parulidae | Setophaga virens |
North American Bird Calls
- Click here to hear Choice 1
- Summer
- Year Around
- Winter
Distribution: Found from Newfoundland and Labrador through northern Quebec, below James Bay, passing through the center of the western provinces, touching into British Columbia, around the Great Lakes, to far south touching into Alabama, up the eastern coast into the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A few will spend their winter months in southern Florida and southeastern Texas.
References to Other Bird Sites:
Avibase - the world bird database This site provides the user with a complete list of bird species, broken down per country, or in the example of the US or Canada, per state and province. Here, bird species names are available in other languages, a great asset to be used as a translation of foreign bird names.
ABA - American Birding Association This site represents an organization that maintains official records of all birds species that have been proven to have been seen inside the perimeters of the North American Continent and the surrounding bodies of water. Regular revised versions are posted to keep the bird list current at all times. This is the list used by all serious birders over their lifetime. You may be aware of the movie called the "Big Year". It was with this list that all the competing birders used in an attempt to set a new record as to how many bird species that could be seen by an individual birder in one calendar year.
I hope you will take advantage of these suggested websites. I have used each of them, in one way or another, throughout the years in my quest to better identify and understand our fine feathered friends.