Virginia's Warbler

Virginia's Warbler is a mostly plain, gray-toned warbler of arid southwestern habitats, lacking the bright overall yellow of many of its relatives. Its plumage is largely soft gray above and pale grayish-white below, brightened by a patch of yellow on the breast and bright yellow undertail coverts, along with a bold white eyering.

A small chestnut patch may be present on the crown, similar to several related species, but is usually concealed and difficult to see in the field. The overall effect is a subtly patterned, understated bird well suited to blending into dry scrub habitat.

Key field marks

• Plain gray upperparts and grayish-white underparts
• Bold white eyering
• Yellow patch on the breast and bright yellow undertail coverts
• Small, often-concealed chestnut crown patch
• No wingbars

Similar species

Nashville Warbler is similar but shows much more extensive yellow across the entire underparts and a more contrasting olive-green back, while Virginia's Warbler is grayer overall with yellow restricted mainly to the breast patch and undertail coverts. Lucy's Warbler is paler and grayer still, lacking any yellow on the underparts apart from occasional faint tinges, and shows a chestnut rump patch that Virginia's Warbler lacks.

Virginia's Warblers breed in arid montane scrub habitats across the southwestern United States, including pinyon-juniper woodland, oak scrub, and dense chaparral on dry mountain slopes, generally at moderate elevations.

They winter primarily in Mexico, in similar dry scrub and thorn forest habitat.

Behavior and voice

Virginia's Warblers forage low in dense shrubs, gleaning insects and spiders from foliage, and often flick their tails while moving through cover, somewhat similar to several related Leiothlypis warblers.

The song is a series of similar, evenly spaced chip notes, often rendered as "chivi-chivi-chivi-chee-chee," with a slightly harsher, more even quality than the song of the related Nashville Warbler.

Nesting

The nest is built on or near the ground, hidden in dense shrub cover or a grass tussock on a dry slope, made of grass, bark strips, and plant down. Clutches typically contain 3-5 eggs.