Black-throated Gray Warbler

The Black-throated Gray Warbler is a striking, sharply patterned bird, entirely gray, black, and white apart from a small but distinctive yellow spot just in front of the eye (the lores). Adult males show a bold black-and-white striped face and a solid black throat and bib, while females have a paler, less extensive throat patch, sometimes largely white.

The back is plain gray, the underparts white with black streaking along the flanks, and two crisp white wingbars complete a clean, high-contrast pattern that stands out well against the dry woodland habitats it favors.

Key field marks

• Gray upperparts, black-and-white striped face
• Black throat/bib (more extensive and solid in males)
• Small yellow spot in front of the eye (lores)
• White underparts with black streaking on the flanks
• Two white wingbars

Similar species

Black-and-white Warbler is superficially similar in overall gray-black-white tone but is boldly striped overall (including the crown and back) and lacks the yellow lore spot, plus it creeps along tree trunks and branches rather than foraging like a typical foliage-gleaning warbler.

Black-throated Gray Warblers breed in dry woodland habitats across the western United States, including oak woodland, pinyon-juniper, chaparral, and mixed conifer scrub, generally favoring drier, more open habitat than many other western warblers.

They winter mainly in Mexico, with some individuals wintering in the southwestern United States, particularly in similarly dry scrub and woodland habitats.

Behavior and voice

Black-throated Gray Warblers forage actively in shrubs and trees, gleaning insects from foliage and twigs, typically staying at low to mid-levels in woodland vegetation rather than high in the canopy.

The song is a buzzy series often rendered as "weezy-weezy-weezy-weet," with a rising or emphasized final note.

Nesting

The nest is built in a shrub or low tree, often well concealed in foliage, made of plant fibers, bark strips, and down. Clutches typically contain 3-5 eggs.