| Chestnut-sided Warbler | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific Classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Dendroica pensylvanica |
The Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica , is a New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America in southern Canada, and into the Great Lakes region and the eastern USA south to Georgia.
It is migratory, wintering in Central America. This is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.
The summer male Chestnut-sided Warbler is unmistakable. It has a dark-streaked gray back, white face, black eyestripe and greenish crown. The underparts are white, with chestnut flanks, and there are two white wing bars. The adult female is a washed-out version of the summer male, and in particular lack the strong head pattern, and have less chestnut on the flanks.
Non-breeding birds have a greenish head, mainly unstreaked greenish upperparts and a pale grey unstreaked breast. The wing bars are always present. The lack of streaking helps to distinguish this species from Blackpoll Warbler outside the breeding season.
The breeding habitat is young deciduous woodland and scrub. Chestnut-sided Warblers nest in a bush, laying 3-5 eggs in a cup nest.
These birds are insectivorous, but will take some berries in winter.
The song is a whistled pleased, pleased, pleased to meecha. The call is a harsh chip.
New World Warblers by Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ISBN 0-7136-3932-6Reference