Magnolia Warbler Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small songbird with a small bill and a long, narrow tail.

  Relative Size

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

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 4.3-5.1 in (11-13 cm)
    • Weight: 0.2-0.5 oz (6-15 g)
    • Wingspan: 6.3-7.9 in (16-20 cm)

  © Ian Davies / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adult males have a black mask and distinctive black streaking that radiates from a black neck band creating a necklaced look. Males are gray and black above with a wide white wing patch, and a yellow throat and belly. Females and immatures have a gray head, a white eyering, a faint gray band across the neck, and 2 narrow white wingbars. From below on both sexes note the unique tail pattern; white at the base and black at the tip.

• Behavior

  Often forages low in the understory, picking insects from the undersides of leaves. During migration also forages higher in the canopy with other warblers. Sometimes flashes its tail, exposing white spots, similar to the behavior of an American Redstart.
• Habitat

  Breeds in small conifers, especially young spruces, in purely coniferous stands or mixed forests. During migration found in dense vegetation often at forest edges.