Warbler is the popular name of a group of small migratory songbirds. These birds are also known as wood-warblers. They live in the Americas from the tropics to the far north. Most of them are about 5 1/2 inches (14 centimeters) long. Warblers are hard to see because they are small and they keep close to the foliage of trees and bushes. Their feathers are of many beautiful colors. People enjoy the quick movements and abrupt, high-pitched songs of the warblers.

Many warblers winter in South and Central America, and migrate through the United States late in the spring. In May, they begin to appear in woods, in city parks, and in trees near buildings. Many species go on farther north for their nesting. Some warblers go as far north as the Hudson Bay and the Yukon Territory in Canada, but others nest in the Southern States.

Yellow Rumped Warbler Dendroica Coronata

Found in North and Central America Body length: 5 to 6 inches (11.7 to 15.2 centimeters).

Many kinds of warblers have fine singing voices. Others sing only weak, lisping notes. There are more than 150 species and subspecies of warblers. Some of the better-known ones are the yellow warbler, the black-and-white warbler, and the yellow-rumped warbler. Yellow warblers are quite common in city parks. The black-and-white warbler likes to creep along the branches of trees. The yellow-rumped warbler has four yellow patches on its head, rump, and breast.

Black and White Warbler Mniotilta Varia

Found from Canada to Northwestern South America. Body length: 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 inches (11.4 to 14.0 centimeters).

Another well-known warbler is the American redstart. It is colored a striking black with salmon markings, and looks somewhat like a small oriole. The redstart is one of the most active and graceful of American warblers. The Blackburnian warbler has a bright orange throat. Two other warblers are named for their colors. They are the black-throated green warbler and the black-throated blue warbler. The ovenbird has a dull orange stripe on its head, a white breast marked with black, and an olive-green back. It is named for its ovenlike nest.

Hooded Warbler Wilsonia Citrina

Found in Eastern and Midwestern United States and in Central America Body length: 5 to 6 inches (11.7 to 15.2 centimeters).

Warblers help farmers by killing insects that destroy fruits and strip trees of their leaves. Warblers search in tiny cracks in the bark and in fruit buds for insects that might escape larger birds.

Scientific Classification. Warblers make up the subfamilyParulinae in the family Emberizidae. The scientific name for the black-and-white warbler is Mniotilta varia. The American redstart is Setophaga ruticilla. The ovenbird is Seiurus aurocapillus. The yellow warbler is Dendroica petechia, and the yellow-rumped is D. coronata. The Blackburnian warbler is D. fusca, the black-throated green is D. virens, and the black-throated blue is D. caerulescens.