Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Tennessee Warbler

Tennessee Warbler'
Scientific Classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family:Parulidae
Genus:Vermivora
Species: pinus
Binomial name
Vermivora pinus

The Tennessee Warbler, Vermivora pinus, is a New World warbler. It breeds in northern North America across Canada and the northern USA. It is migratory, wintering in southern Central America. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

The breeding male Tennessee Warbler is brown above and white below. The head is gray with a white supercilium and black eye stripe.

Females are duller, with a less contrasted head and yellow-tinged under-parts. Non-breeding and young birds are similar to the female, with first-winter birds being particularly yellow below.

The breeding habitat is coniferous or mixed woodland, especially Spruce. Tennessee Warblers nest on the ground, laying 4-7 eggs in a cup nest.

These birds feed on insects in summer, and numbers vary with the availability of Spruce Budworm. In winter they will also eat berries and nectar.

The song is a series of musical notes and trills. The call is a sharp sit.

Reference

New World Warblers by Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ISBN 0-7136-3932-6