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Swainson's Warbler

Limnothlypis swainsoniiOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Wood Warblers (Parulidae)

Breeding Location:

Bushes and shrubs



Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester



Breeding Population:

Uncommon in swamps & moist woodlands.



Egg Color:

White, sometimes with brown speckles



Number of Eggs:

2 - 5



Incubation Days:

13 - 15



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Mass of leaves, pine needles, mammal hair, grasses, Spanish moss and rootlets



Migration:

Migratory



Splitbar

Overview

Swainson's Warbler: Medium-sized warbler with olive-brown upperparts and pale gray underparts. Head has brown cap, white eyebrows, and dark eye-lines. Wings are plain olive-brown. It hides in dense thickets, where it forages on the ground looking for insects, spiders, and caterpillars.

Range and Habitat

Swainson's Warbler: In southeast U.S., lives in canebrakes and thickets in swamps and among hardwoods; in the southern Appalachians it is found in laurel and rhododendron thickets of moist, montane forests.

Breeding and Nesting

Swainson's Warbler: Two to five white eggs, sometimes with brown speckles, are laid in a nest made of leaves, pine needles, mammal hair, grass, Spanish moss, and rootlets, and built in a bush or vines, 2 to 10 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 13 to 15 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Swainson's Warbler: Eats insects, millipedes, and spiders; forages in shrubs and trees or on the ground, walking and slowly turning over leaves with its bill.

Readily Eats

Sugar Water, Fruit, Nut Pieces

Vocalization

Swainson's Warbler: Song is a clear, bold "whee-whee-whee, whip-poor-will", with opening notes down-slurred and last three clear and faster. Call is a loud clear "chip."

Similar Species

Swainson's Warbler: Worm-eating Warbler has shorter bill, buff head with two pairs of black stripes, and buff underparts.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Wood Warbler (Parulidae)_blue
Species Limnothlypis swainsonii
Length5 - 5.5 Inches
Wingspan8.5 Inches

Swainson's Warbler

Swainson's Warbler: Medium-sized warbler with olive-brown upperparts and pale gray underparts. Head has brown cap, white eyebrows, and dark eye-lines. Wings are plain olive-brown. It hides in dense thickets, where it forages on the ground looking for insects, spiders, and caterpillars.

● Song: "whee-whee-whee, whip-poor-will", "chip"

● Foraging & Feeding: Swainson's Warbler: Eats insects, millipedes, and spiders; forages in shrubs and trees or on the ground, walking and slowly turning over leaves with its bill.

● Breeding & nesting: Swainson's Warbler: Two to five white eggs, sometimes with brown speckles, are laid in a nest made of leaves, pine needles, mammal hair, grass, Spanish moss, and rootlets, and built in a bush or vines, 2 to 10 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 13 to 15 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Swainson's Warbler: Worm-eating Warbler has shorter bill, buff head with two pairs of black stripes, and buff underparts.

Flight Pattern

Fairly swift short direct flights on rapidly beating wings.
Swainson's Warbler Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Swainson's Warbler: In southeast U.S., lives in canebrakes and thickets in swamps and among hardwoods; in the southern Appalachians it is found in laurel and rhododendron thickets of moist, montane forests.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationUncommon in swamps & moist woodlands.
MigrationMigratory
Weight0.7 Ounces