The Cerulean Warbler

A Cerulean Warbler is a fun bird to see while bird watching. Below are some tips to help you identify Cerulean Warblers. We have also put together a list of fun Cerulean Warbler t-shirts, Cerulean Warbler bird patches, bird houses, bird feeders, binoculars, stickers and other fun bird watching items.

About Cerulean Warblers

The Cerulean Warbler is a fairly small-sized songbird native to North America. They are migratory birds of the long-distance nature. Their species are possibly threatened or endangered as their numbers continue to decline drastically. Their main threat is increasing parasitism by the cowbird. The cowbird finds other bird’s nests and lays eggs in them.

Their decline may also be attributed to the loss of wintering grounds in the tropics.

Range and Migration

Cerulean warblers are bright members of the New World Warbler family. The upper parts of the adult males are a combination of pale cerulean and white. Contrasting the cerulean, the male birds have a black necklace across their breast, and thin black streaks on their sides and backs. The females lack streaks on their neck and back, the upper portion of their body is turquoise or grey, with pale eyebrows, and blurry streaks on the flanks. The only feature that distinguishes the immatures from the females is the yellow wash on their underparts. All the birds have a thin pointed bill, and their plumages have white wing-bars. 

Cerulean Warbler Color Pattern

Males have a pale cerulean blue and white upperpart. They also have black streaks on the back and flanks while their breast is laced with a black necklace. Females, on the other hand, have greenish upperparts. They have a pale stripe that runs over the eye and they have no streaks on the back or flanks. Both birds have wing bars and a thin pointed bill.

Cerulean Warbler Size

Their beak to tail length is 11cm on average while their wingspan is about 20cm. They have a body mass of approximately 8-10g. They are generally a small-sized bird.

Cerulean Warbler Behavior

Their call is called the slurred chip as their song is a buzzed accelerating “zray zray zray zray zeeee,” which sounds slurred. The bird looks for insects high up in trees. They catch them while in flight.

Their cup-shaped nests are placed high up in hardwood trees on horizontal branches probably to deter them from predators’ reach. Sometimes, when they fail to nest they need to re-nest. The female does the work and while it’s building the new nest it uses the spiderweb from the previous nest because it is precious and hard to come by.

Cerulean Warbler Food

Cerulean Warblers primarily feed on insects such as flies, weevils and beetles; with a preference for caterpillars. These birds hop from branch to branch foraging for insects on leaves and twigs. As it becomes considerably harder to find food in winter, these birds scatter around in mixed flocks, searching trees from top to bottom for insects. They are also known to drink nectar during winter. 

Cerulean Warblers mainly feed on insects like beetles and caterpillars.

Cerulean Warbler Habitat

Cerulean Warblers prefer breeding in large belts of deciduous forests with tall trees. Some of the trees they prefer for nesting and foraging are bitternut hickories, cucumber magnolias, sugar maples and white oaks. While migrating they relax in coffee plantations, scrublands, and tropical forests. Their wintering grounds are in the evergreen forests, coffee plantations, and woodlands of the Eastern slopes of the Northern Andes. They are also often found near riverbanks. Cerulean Warblers prefer regions in which several layers of vegetation are apparent in the forest canopy.

Just like other types of bird in the warbler family, they like deciduous forests in the river valley. They breed in mature undisturbed hardwood forests like soft maple, oak, birch, beech basswood, hickory, and linden.

Range and Migration

Cerulean Warblers are one of Northern America’s most threatened songbirds. They can be spotted in forests of Northern America during breeding season. Once breeding season ends, they migrate to Southern America to their wintering grounds, which are mountains with woodlands. Although Cerulean Warblers are expected in these regions during specific seasons, over the years spotting them has become a near-impossible task. Habitat destruction and nest parasites are two challenges that have plagued these birds to a great degree, causing a 70% decline in their population in just the past 40 years.

Cerulean Warbler Life Cycle

The lifespan of a mature Cerulean Warbler is about six years. The female lays 3-5 eggs and keeps them incubated for 12-13 days when they hatch. The age at which the young ones leave the nest may not be clear.

Nesting

Female Cerulean Warblers build open-cup nests on horizontal branches on the upper and middle branches of deciduous trees such as Oaks, maples, hickories and beeches. These nests are located over open spaces, but are carefully concealed from above with leaves, or tiny branches and vines.  Around the middle of May the males arrives on the breeding grounds. The males win over the attention of the females by its buzzed, accelerating call, which goes; zray zray zray zray zeeeee. This mating call is called a slurred chip. The females lay 3-4 eggs in May or June, which have an incubation period of 11-13 days. Both parents protect and feed the offspring for upto 11 days, until they become fledglings. They raise only one brood of younglings ever year, but re-nesting occurs if the first nest is destroyed.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Cerulean Warblers

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Cerulean Warblers are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Cerulean Warbler T-shirts

If you love the Cerulean Warbler you should purchase a Bird Watching Academy & Camp T-shirt. To help support bird conservation we donate 10 percent to bird conservation activities.

Cerulean Warbler Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron on patches. Our bird watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen an identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The Cerulean Warbler is a great iron on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

Cerulean Warbler Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Cerulean Warbler. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For Cerulean Warbler

There are many types of bird feeders. Here are our favorite bird feeders for your backyard. We use all of these bird feeders currently. Kids will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. Using this collection of bird feeders will provide a wide variety and many types of birds.

Best Bird Houses for Cerulean Warbler

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. These 4 bird houses have become our favorites. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. We spent a little extra money on these bird houses but they have been worth the higher price and look great.