Hooded Warbler Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Hooded Warblers are small, well-proportioned birds with a straight, sharp bill. Compared to other warblers, they are fairly heavy-bodied and thick-necked.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, smaller than a Red-eyed Vireo.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.1 in (13 cm)
    • Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (9-12 g)
    • Wingspan: 6.9 in (17.5 cm)

  © Evan Lipton / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adult males are olive-green above and bright yellow below with a black hood and throat, a yellow forehead, and yellow cheeks. Females and immatures are also olive-green above and yellow below, but they don't have a black hood, although some adult females show an outline of a hood. Note the large black eye and white outer tail feathers that it often flashes.

• Behavior

  This warbler spends much of its time in the understory flitting between shrubs and flashing its white outer tail feathers. It tends to stay at least partially hidden in understory vegetation, jumping up to take insects or picking them from foliage.
• Habitat

  Hooded Warblers are found in mature deciduous forests with a dense understory, but also uses smaller forest patches as long as there is a shrubby understory.