All About Black-Throated Blue (and Green) Warblers

What Does a Black-Throated Blue Warbler Look Like?

Courtesy Debora Parker

When identifying black-throated blue warblers, look for field marks like the white belly and white wing spot. The male’s dark colors reflect this bird’s favorite migration habitat: in the shadows of undergrowth in eastern woods. Females look completely different, with dull olive coloring.

Learn how to identify a cerulean warbler.

Range and Habitat

Courtesy David Bell

These lovely birds was migrate north from Jamaica to the deep forest undergrowth of the Northeast or beyond to southeastern Canada. One place to see these birds is Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Look for black-throated blue warblers in the hardwood forests.

What Does a Black-Throated Blue Warbler Eat?

Primarily insect eaters, in fall and winter the warblers will eat berries, like beautyberry.

Learn how to identify a yellow-rumped warbler.

Black-Throated Blue Warbler Nest

This warbler nests near the ground in a shrub such as rhododendron. Females, with their overall gray-green plumage and virtually no blue, are able to hide well while nesting.

Black-Throated Blue Warbler Song

This bird’s song is a distinct zerr-zerr-zree.

Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology 

What Does a Black-Throated Green Warbler Look Like?

Courtesy Laura Pettigrew

A common migrant, the black-throated green warbler has a deep black throat, yellow head, olive-green back and two white wing bars. They are called “green” because both males and females have olive backs.

Black-Throated Blue Warbler Nest

The species nests in northern coniferous forests and mixed forests in the Appalachians.

Black-Throated Green Warbler Song

Courtesy Roger Hagerman

You might hear this warbler before you see it. Listen for the male’s recognizable buzzy song, zoo, zee, zoo zoo zee, and then look up—way up! These birds stay high in treetops.

Sources

• All About Birds – black-throated blue warbler
• All About Birds – black-throated green warbler