Hooded Warbler
Setophaga citrina
eBird describes the Hooded Warbler this way: Rather small, yellow warbler that habitually flashes its white outer tail feathers. Males have distinctive black hood with yellow face; females duller with only a shadow of hood (some lack it completely). Most similar to Wilson’s Warbler; always look for white in the tail on Hooded. Generally a bird of the understory in mature forest, often around patches of rhododendron. Song similar to Magnolia Warbler but stronger; “weeta-weeta-weeTEEyoo”. Call sounds like two shot glasses being chinked together. All About Birds adds this descriptive information for the Hooded Warbler: The Hooded Warbler flits through shrubby understories in eastern forests, flicking its tail to show off its white tail feathers. But those flashes are not the only thing that will draw your attention. The male’s bright yellow cheeks and forehead surrounded by a black hood and throat will surely capture you. Females lack the bold black hood, but their yellow cheeks still stand out. Listen for their characteristic song on the breeding grounds and their metallic chip on the wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America.
I saw my first Hooded Warbler shortly after I arrived at the Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary on the morning of April 18, 2021. In fact, I watched Hooded Warbles at almost all of the venues I visited on my trip. There was one Hooded Warbler in particular that hung out in the bushes near the bathrooms at Quintana, and I said hello to him each and every time I visited the head. A very active and cool little bird!
“Cool Facts” About the Hooded Warbler From All About Birds:
- Both male and female Hooded Warblers are strongly territorial on their wintering grounds, despite using different habitats at that time of year. Males are found in mature forest, and females in scrubbier forest and seasonally flooded areas.
- Individual male Hooded Warblers each sing a slightly different song. They learn to recognize their neighbor’s song based not only on the song itself, but also on where the song is coming from. Their ability to recognize their neighbor may mean that they have to spend less time on territory defense.
- The white spots on a Hooded Warbler’s tail help them capture more insects, possibly by startling the insects into taking flight. An experimental study conducted in Pennsylvania found that birds with temporarily darkened tail feathers were less successful at capturing insects than those with white spots on their tails.
- Male Hooded Warblers often return to the same breeding spot year after years—in one 7-year study in Pennsylvania approximately 50% of banded males returned to the area to breed again.
- The oldest recorded Hooded Warbler was a male, and at least 8 years, 1 month old when he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Louisiana in 2004.