Canada Warbler

June 23, 2017
Canada Warbler
Cardellina canadensis

by Paul Cianfaglione
Spring is by far the best season for finding wood warblers in Connecticut. Sadly, the same birdwatchers who so eagerly await their spring arrival, suddenly forget about warblers once nesting season has begun.

The Canada Warbler, for instance, approaches its southern limit of breeding distribution in Connecticut and further south in the Appalachian mountain range. It undertakes a long annual migration for a wood-warbler, wintering primarily in northern South America.

Where to find it: During the breeding season, Canada Warblers are found in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests with a well-developed understory, which often includes dense stands of mountain laurel.

Canada Warbers nest at Connecticut Audubon’s Croft preserve, in Goshen. Places such as Peoples State Forest in Barkhamsted and Mohawk State Forest in Goshen provide such habitat. You can find others on eBird. 

How to find it: When searching for nesting Canada Warbler, it is important to become familiar with its unique song. One of my favorite ways of locating a Canada Warbler is by slowly driving along Greenwoods Road in Peoples State Forest, listening for its clear, loud chip note, followed by an abrupt, explosive series of short notes that regularly ends with a three-note phrase.

Canada Warblers are nesting now. But because they are long-distance migrants, they are often one of the first warbler species to be detected away from their breeding grounds. It is not unusual to find southbound migrant Canada Warblers along powerline corridors or coastal habitats as early as mid-August.

What it looks like: Often referred to as the “Necklaced Warbler,” male Canada Warblers sport unmarked gray upperparts, yellow underparts, black facial markings and, of course, a spectacular black necklace, which makes identification pretty straightforward. Females are far less distinctive, but still retain some the key field marks.  

Conservation status: The North American Bird Conservation Initiative designated the Canada Warbler as a Highest Priority Land Bird in Bird Conservation. Partners in Flight North American Land Bird Conservation Plan lists this as a species of high conservation concern in the Northern Forest region. The Northeast Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee recognize Canada Warbler as one of the region’s highest priorities for conservation and research. (Source: Birds of North America Online Version, 2017).

Photos by William Majoros (top) and Jose Loaiza, Carolinabirds.org