Cerulean Warbler

Dendroica cerulea

Explore this bird

Identification

Field notes

12 cm (5") Fairly common but local. Tall trees in deciduous woods in river bottoms and near streams.

Male: blue upperparts. White throat. Black breast band and black streaks along sides. White belly. Two white wing bars.

Female: greenish back with a green or blue-green crown. Pale eyebrow stripe broadens behind the eye. Pale yellowish throat. Faint streaks on pale yellowish sides. Two white wing bars.

Song: rapid buzzy "zray zray zray zreeeeee".

Details in the field

Photo gallery

3 photos

Credit: Dan Irizarry

Credit: Greg Sxhneider

Credit: Dennis Cooke

Watch and learn

Videos

2 videos

Cerulean Warbler

Credit: Lang Elliott's Nature Channel

Cerulean Warbler

Credit: Wild Bird and Nature Videos by McElroy Productions

Where it lives

Distribution map

Source legend · original intervals

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Unshaded in source · does not imply absence

Bird Advisor Identification rules 2 variants 2 rules

These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.

Cerulean Warbler (Female)

1 rule

Rule 1 14 criteria confidence 3

What was the sex of the bird ?: Female · Unknown
What colour were the WING STRIPES or PATCHES ?: White or pale gray stripes or patches · Unknown
Did the WINGS have STRIPES or PATCHES ?: Yes · Unknown
What colour TAIL PATTERN was there if any ?: None · Unknown
What colour PATTERN if any was on the BACK ?: Uniform · Unknown
What colour was the BACK ?: Olive (yellowish-green) · Green · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
What colour was the BELLY ?: White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?: White, or pale (grayish-white) · Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?: Straight and slender · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?: Short · Medium · Unknown
What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?: Olive (yellowish-green) · Green · Blue · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?: Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
What TYPE of bird was seen ?: Warbler-like
WHEN was the bird seen ?: Spring · Summer · Fall

result:59-cerulean-warbler-female:1:1 Source: 59 Cerulean Warbler (Female), row 1

Cerulean Warbler (Male)

1 rule

Rule 1 14 criteria confidence 3

What was the sex of the bird ?: Male · Unknown
What colour were the WING STRIPES or PATCHES ?: White or pale gray stripes or patches · Unknown
Did the WINGS have STRIPES or PATCHES ?: Yes · Unknown
Were the SIDES STREAKED, SPOTTED or BARRED ?: Yes · Unknown
What colour was the BACK ?: Blue · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the BELLY ?: White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
What colour was the BREAST ?: White, or pale (grayish-white) · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?: White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?: Straight and slender · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?: Short · Medium · Unknown
What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?: Blue · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?: Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
What TYPE of bird was seen ?: Warbler-like
WHEN was the bird seen ?: Spring · Summer · Fall

result:58-cerulean-warbler-male:1:1 Source: 58 Cerulean Warbler (Male), row 1