Townsend's Warber

Townsend's Warbler - A Very Rare Visitor

Townsend's Warbler  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

The Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) is an ultra-rare species to see in New Brunswick.  It is a species of warbler with its range being entirely western.  It breeds and summers in British Columbia, southern Yukon and Alaska and it winters in the western US states, northern Mexico and Central America.  It is a permanent resident along the coast of British Columbia southward to southern California.  In the west it is fairly common  preferring coniferous forest habitats especially old growth forests.  

The photo shown above (thanks to Marbeth Wilson) is an individual which showed up at Waterside on 13 May, 2020.  This is only the second report of a Townsend's Warbler from New Brunswick (I believe).  The first individual to appear here I saw at Fundy Park on 5 November, 2005.  It was an immature male.  The bird shown above is an adult male in breeding plumage.  And what a beautiful bird it is!  The identifying features of this bird are the dark auriculars (ear patches) surrounded by yellow, yellow breast, white outer tail feathers and 2 white wing bars.  Note also the black throat patch, the olive green crown and the olive green back streaked with black.  The female is duller with narrower streaks and no black throat patch. 

Townsend's Warbler  [Internet Photo]

The species one might at first mistake this species for is the Black-throated Green Warbler, especially the female and immature Townsend's.  The Black-throated Green Warbler, however, lacks the dark auriculars and the yellow on the throat and breast.  Black-throated Green Warblers are common here in summer.

Vagrants are common in this species with many reports occurring accidentally in the east and as far away as Bermuda and the Bahamas.  

Townsend's Warblers feed on insects and spiders.  They forage by gleaning from clumps of foliage by perching or hovering.  They occasionally catch flying insects in mid-air.  They apparently will come to feeders for fruit, nuts and sugared water.  This species nests high in coniferous trees especially Douglas firs.  The nest is a well-concealed shallow cup and 3 to 5 white eggs with brown spots are incubated for 12 days by the female.  The song of this warbler is high-pitched and drops at the end; zwee zwee zwee zwee sweezit, as described by some.

The Townsend's Warbler will hybridize with the Hermit Warbler where their ranges overlap.  The Townsend's Warbler is very vocal and the male will begin to sing even before he leaves the wintering grounds.  This beautiful species was named after an American ornithologist, John Kirk Townsend.