Townsend's Warbler

Townsend's Warbler is a strikingly marked bird of western coniferous forests, combining an olive-green back with a bold black-and-yellow facial pattern. Adult males have a black crown and cheek patch bordered by bright yellow, a black throat, and yellow underparts streaked with black on the sides, while females show a more muted version of the same pattern with less black on the face and throat.

Two white wingbars stand out against the otherwise dark wings, and the overall effect is one of the most dramatically patterned faces among North American warblers.

Key field marks

• Black crown and cheek patch bordered by yellow
• Black throat (more extensive in males, reduced in females)
• Yellow breast with black streaking on the sides
• Olive-green back, white belly, two white wingbars

Similar species

Hermit Warbler is closely related and hybridizes with Townsend's where ranges overlap; Hermit Warbler has a plain yellow face without the black cheek patch and a gray (not olive-streaked) back. Black-throated Green Warbler lacks the black cheek patch and has a plainer yellow face with an olive crown.

Townsend's Warblers breed in coniferous forest, often favoring tall, old-growth stands, across the Pacific Northwest, western Canada, and into Alaska. They forage and nest primarily in the upper canopy of large conifers.

They winter along the Pacific coast from the northwestern United States south through Mexico and Central America, and some individuals overwinter as far north as coastal Washington and Oregon, where in winter they are known to feed on aphid honeydew and other sugary secretions on conifer foliage.

Behavior and voice

Townsend's Warblers forage actively in the outer branches and canopy of conifers, gleaning insects, and in winter they have been documented supplementing their diet with aphid honeydew, an unusual food source among warblers that helps some individuals survive in relatively cold coastal climates.

The song is a buzzy series of notes, variable but often rendered as "zee-zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee," with a wheezy quality typical of the Setophaga "green warbler" complex.

Nesting

The nest is built high in a conifer, often well out on a horizontal branch, made of twigs, moss, and lichen. Clutches typically contain 3-5 eggs.