Grace's Warbler

Overview

Grace's warbler (Setophaga graciae) is a small New World warbler that specialises in pine woods. It is classified as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Measures 11–13 cm in length with a mostly grey upper body featuring broken black streaks on the back and flanks, and two white wing bars.
• Displays a vibrant yellow throat and breast with white underparts elsewhere.
• Possesses a yellow half-eye ring under the eye and a long yellow "eyebrow" stripe that starts at the beak base, runs above the eye, and fades to white.

Habitat

Found in pine forests from the south-western United States to Nicaragua, though they inhabit spruce-fir forest at the northern end of their range. They prefer open, "parklike" woods, often with an understory of Gambel's oak in northern Arizona, and typically occur at altitudes of 1,800 to 2,700 meters in the north, dropping to as low as 250 m further south.

Diet

Eats exclusively insects and spiders, foraging primarily high in pine trees and occasionally in oaks. It catches food from the bases of needle clusters and upper bark, often hovering to inspect pine cones for larvae, and may fly to catch insects in Nicaragua though this is rare in Arizona.

Did you know?

In parts of the Mosquitia of Nicaragua where Caribbean pine is the only tree, Grace's warblers may be the only bird seen. The species was named after the 18-year-old sister of its discoverer, Grace Darling Coues.