Black and White Warbler - Sierra Club BC
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Black and White Warbler

CAN BE FOUND IN:

Black and White Warbler

Mniotilta varia 

Appearance

As their name suggests, black and white warblers are small black and white striped birds. The male of this species has a black throat and cheek that the females don’t. 

Range & Habitat

They live in forests from Canada to the southern US. They can be found in gardens, parks and front lawns during migration on its way to and from the southern US and northern South America. 

Reciprocal relationships

These iconic Canadian birds are also called the ‘black and white creeper’ because they creep along tree trunks looking for tasty insects. These birds have a quite long claw at the back of their feet which helps them to hold on to the bark of trees. Their genus “Mniotilta” means moss-plucking and refers to how they pluck through moss to find these insects. By eating insects that live in tree trunks they ensure that there are not too many insects harming the tree.  

They usually lay four to five purple-speckled eggs in ground nests placed next to the base of rocks, trees or stumps. These birds are not endangered — yet! It is important that we protect their nesting ground habitat, as this area is decreasing as we log and develop land.  

status

COSEWIC: Not Reported 
CDC: Yellow 

More INformation

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.   

photo credit

Rhododendrites via Wikipedia Commons

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