June 12, 2022 - Black and White Warblers

May is the month that we see warblers migrating through Minnesota. I managed to get a number of good looks at some of them. Today, I'm concentrating on Black and White Warblers. Warblers are among our most colorful birds. However, while it only has two colors, the Black and White Warbler is one of the most elegant looking species.

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This “mug shot” of a Black and White shows how all the stripes on its head and chest, both black and white, are centered on its beak.

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While males and females look very similar, there are a few subtle ways to tell them apart. This is a male. He has a large black patch on the side of his face surrounded by relatively thin white stripes. He also has a black chin.

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Here’s a female. Note the small stripe of black on the side of her face. She also has a white throat.

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Note the layered look of this bird’s wing feathers when seen in a top view.

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Warblers are small birds. The Black and White is only 5¼ inches long. It has a very high-pitched song that sounds like “wheezy, wheezy, wheezy.”

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Black and White Warblers do nest on our land in northern Minnesota, so I’m likely to catch glimpses of them throughout the summer.

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