Black-throated Gray Warbler Identification Guide
A crisply patterned gray, black, and white western warbler with a small yellow spot before the eye and a bold black-and-white striped face.
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Key Field Marks
- Small warbler, about 12 cm, with clean gray upperparts and white underparts streaked with black on the flanks
- Bold black-and-white striped face pattern: black crown, white supercilium, black eyeline, and white lower face
- Small but distinctive yellow spot in front of the eye (lore), visible at close range and useful even when other marks are unclear
- Male has a solid black throat and bib; female shows a whitish throat with variable dark markings, often less extensive black
- Two white wing bars on otherwise gray wings
Similar Species
- Black-and-white Warbler: has bold black-and-white streaking over the entire body (not just the face and flanks) and creeps along branches and trunks like a nuthatch
- Black-throated Green Warbler: olive-green (not gray) upperparts and a bright yellow face rather than black-and-white striping
- Townsend's Warbler: shows yellow on the face and breast, with olive-green upperparts, unlike the gray-and-white Black-throated Gray
- The small yellow lore spot, gray back, and black/white face together are diagnostic
Habitat & Range
- Breeds in dry coniferous, mixed, and oak woodlands, including pinyon-juniper woodland and chaparral edges in the interior West
- Breeds from British Columbia south through the western United States, including much of California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest
- Winters mainly in Mexico, with small numbers wintering in coastal California and the southwestern United States
Seasonality
- Present on breeding territories from spring through late summer
- Migrates mainly through the western United States and Mexico
Voice
- Buzzy, husky song often rendered "weezy weezy weezy weez-see," with an accelerating, rising quality similar in cadence to other Setophaga warblers
- Call note is a flat, sharp "chip"
Frequently asked questions
What is the single best field mark for Black-throated Gray Warbler?
The small yellow spot just in front of the eye (lore) combined with an otherwise entirely black, white, and gray plumage is diagnostic and separates it from all similar species.
How do males and females differ in this species?
Males show a solid black throat and bib, while females have a paler, whitish throat with only partial dark markings.
Where in North America would I find this species breeding?
It breeds in dry woodlands across the western United States and southwestern Canada, favoring oak, pinyon-juniper, and mixed conifer habitats rather than wet forest.
Is Black-throated Gray Warbler closely related to Black-throated Green Warbler?
They are close relatives in the same genus, but easily separated by color: gray-backed with a black/white face versus olive-backed with a yellow face.