Setophaga nigrescens
The Black-throated Grey Warbler, *Setophaga nigrescens*, is a striking member of the New World warbler family, Parulidae, instantly recognizable by its crisp black-and-white plumage. Males boast a bold black throat, cheek, and crown, contrasting sharply with a white belly, white wing bars, and a prominent yellow spot between the eye and bill (lores). Females and immatures are duller, with a greyish throat and less defined black markings. This petite avian gem measures approximately 11-13 cm (...
Primarily inhabits dry, open coniferous or mixed-oak and pine woodlands, chaparral, and pinyon-juniper forests, often at middle elevations ranging from foothills to montane slopes.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers, spiders, and other arthropods, which they glean from foliage and bark.
Black-throated Grey Warblers are active, restless foragers, typically spending their days gleaning insects from the foliage of trees and shrubs, often in the mid to upper canopy. They move deliberately, searching for prey on leaves and twigs, frequently hanging upside down to inspect the undersid...
The Black-throated Grey Warbler breeds extensively across western North America, from southwestern British Columbia and eastern Washington through Oregon, California (primarily in the Sierra Nevada and coastal ranges), Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and into western Colorado. Its breed...
Least Concern
- The Black-throated Grey Warbler is one of the few Setophaga warblers to breed primarily in the dry, interior forests of Western North America. - Its distinctive yellow lore spot (between the eye and bill) is a key field mark that helps differentiate it from other black-throated warblers. - Male...