Overview

Hermit Warbler: Small warbler, gray upperparts, white underparts, black-streaked flanks. Head is yellow with black throat and nape. Wings are gray with two white bars. Bill, legs and feet are black. They spend most of their time in the tops of tall fir and pine trees, making them difficult to see.

Range and Habitat

Hermit Warbler: Breeds from Washington to northern California and Sierra Nevada. Spends winters south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include mature coniferous forests.

Breeding and Nesting

Hermit Warbler: Three to five white eggs, blotched with red, brown and lavender, are laid in a neat shallow cup nest made of rootlets, bark, and pine needles, and saddled on a conifer branch, usually 20 to 40 feet above the ground. Eggs are incubated for approximately 12 days by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Hermit Warbler: Eats mostly insects. Spends most of the time foraging high in trees; male tends to forage higher than female.

Readily Eats

Sugar Water, Fruit, Nut Pieces

Vocalization

Hermit Warbler: Song is a series of high notes.

Similar Species

Hermit Warbler: Townsend's Warbler has dark ear patches, yellow face, and black streaks on the breast.