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hooded warbler

hooded warbler (Setophaga citrina) [female]
Illinois Status: common, native
Photo © briansmallphoto.com

hooded warbler (Setophaga citrina) [male]
Illinois Status: common, native
Photo © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder

Features and Behaviors

FEATURES
The hooded warbler is about five and one-half inches in length. The olive-yellow body feathers show white spots on the tail. There are no stripes on the body or wings. The male has black feathers on its head and neck that form a "hood" on its yellow face and forehead. The female lacks black markings on the head and neck.

BEHAVIORS
The hooded warbler is an uncommon migrant and summer resident throughout Illinois, although it is seen more often in the southern two-thirds of the state. Its winter range is from Mexico south to Panama. The hooded warbler lives in bottomland forests and swamps. This bird eats insects. Its call is "weeta-wee-tee-o" or "weesy, weesy, weesytu." This warbler flicks its tail open and shut repeatedly. Spring migrants begin arriving in March. Nesting occurs from May through July in bottomland forests with heavy underbrush. The nest is built in a small bush. The three to five eggs are white with red-brown markings. Fall migration begins in August.

Illinois Range

Taxonomy

​Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae

Habitats

Aquatic Habitats
bottomland forests; swamps

Woodland Habitats
bottomland forests

Prairie and Edge Habitats
edge