Black-and-white Warbler makes a visit

Unknown Saturday, August 31, 2013
Black-and-white Warblers look similar to nuthatches at first glance. When I spotted him in the viburnum bush he was feeding on insects moving up, down, and along branches in every direction. On second glance I could see that this bird looked a little smaller and more delicate than a White-breasted Nuthatch.

Black-and-white warblers are one of the easiest warblers to identify. They are a little smaller than a House Sparrow at 5 inches long and they have very obvious black and white stripes like a referee’s shirt. The females and young look a little duller and have a dark gray cheek instead of black.

Keep your eyes open for them migrating through the mid-Michigan area from August through October and then again in the spring from late May to early July. They are common in mature and second-growth deciduous forests during the summer throughout the eastern United States and Canada, and they have an unusually extensive winter range that extends from Florida to Venezuela and Colombia.

Their gentle oscillating song sounds like the squeaky wheel of a car coming to a stop. So keep your eyes and ears open for new birds visiting your yard. All birds need water and a lot of birds will stop in your yard to rest if they see other birds in the area eating safely at feeders.

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