Setophaga tigrina
male
The Cape May Warbler is an active little songbird. The sexes are dissimilar. Adult males have a streaked olive-green crown, nape, and back, with a pale rump and subtly darker tail and wings; there is a striking white wing patch. The yellow face is marked with chestnut ear coverts and a dark eye stripe. The underparts are yellowish with bold dark streaks on the breast and flanks; the undertail is white. Adult females are similar to an adult male but less colorful overall; the ear coverts are olive (not chestnut) and the wings have two white wingbars rather than a white panel. Adults of both sexes are duller in fall than in spring, and males usually have olive (not chestnut) ear coverts. Immatures are similar to their respective fall adults but the colors are even duller.
The Cape May Warbler is present as a breeding species across much of forested northern North America, mainly from May to August. It spends the rest of the year in the Caribbean region. The species usually feeds high in the treetops, making observation tricky. In plumages other than adult male, a pale yellow patch on the side of the neck provides a useful clue to identification.
female
FACT FILE
LENGTH 5 in (12.5 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates
HABITAT Northern forests
STATUS Widespread and common summer visitor
VOICE Song is a series of thin tseet-tseet-tseet notes. Call is a sharp tzip
