Master guide to the Warblers of Canada
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 Prothonotary Warbler
 Protonotaria citrea
 
Size 140mm Weight 15 g

 Description

The Prothonotary Warbler is a large, heavy-bodied, brightly coloured bird. Distinguishing features, generally include a yellow, orange or yellowish olive coloured head and underparts, a white underbelly, greenish upperparts and a grey tail with whitish spots.The species' distinguishing features, vary with age and sex. Females are duller than males and immatures are duller than adults.
 Habitat
The Prothonotary Warbler is a local summer resident that has a preference for dark and damp lowland woods and bottomland hardwood forests.
 Song
The song is quite simple and is composed of a single syllable that is repeated from 4 to 14 times in a series that is amplified at the end of the song and is represented by "sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet" or "tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet."
 Similar Species
Blue-winged Warbler and Yellow Warbler
 Comments
This species is insectivorous and spends much of its foraging time gleaning for insects in leaves, twigs and branches, but will also eat molluscs and isopods. It moves by hopping along branches on trees and shrubs, downed logs and on the ground when foraging for food.
Males establish their territory soon after the spring arrival and show aggression towards other males with intense and frequent vocalizations.
 

 
Field Image
Male
MaleTail

>>go to study skins page

Distribution
Breeding Distribution Map
This species is locally distributed in southern Ontario along the north shore of Lake Erie, with casual sightings in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
 Introduction to Warblers | Identification | Help | Quiz | Credits
Canada's Digital CollectionsThe Provincial Museum Alberta
This digital collection was produced under contract to Canada's Digital Collections program, Industry Canada.