Northern Parula - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Paulyoly
Interlachen, Florida.

Setophaga americana

Parula americana

Identification

Female
Photo © by bobsofpa
Magee Marsh, Ohio, USA, May 2009

4-4.3"

• Grey blue head and upperparts
• Black lores
• White eye-crescents
• Olive back patch
• 2 white wingbars

• White tail-spots
• White broken eye ring
• Yellow legs
• Throat and chest yellow with blackish-slate and rufous band across upper chest
  

Female: duller

Distribution

Immature Female
Photo © by Joseph Morlan
High Island--Smith Oaks Sanctuary, Bolivar Peninsula, Texas, USA, 19 April 2021

Breeds in eastern North America (southern Canada to southern US). Migrating south to winter in east Mexico, reaching to the Caribbean and Nicaragua.

Taxonomy

Juvenile
Photo © by DougLaslj
Michigan, USA, September 2008

This is a monotypic species^[1].
Formerly placed in genus Parula.

Habitat

Open woods; prefers woodlands with abundant tree lichens.

Behaviour

Breeding

It nest in trees in clumps of these mosses, laying 3-7 eggs in a scantily-lined cup nest.

Diet

Diet includes insects and spiders.

Vocalisation

Song: a click-like trill or buzz, zeeeeee-yip
Call: a soft chip

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Lepage D. (2021) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/41062654 ]. Retrieved 18 June 2021
3. USGS

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Northern Parula. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Northern_Parula

External Links

Search for photos of Northern Parula in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1