The hooded warbler is a New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America across the eastern United States and into southernmost Canada (Ontario). It is migratory, wintering in Central America and the West Indies. Hooded warblers are very rare vagrants to western Europe.
Region
Eastern North America to Central America and the Caribbean
Typical Environment
Breeds in the eastern United States and southern Ontario, favoring mature deciduous forests with dense understory, shaded ravines, and forest edges. During the nonbreeding season it winters in the West Indies, Mexico’s Yucatán and adjacent Central America, using humid lowland and foothill forests, second-growth, and shaded plantations. It keeps close to the shrub layer and tangles, where it forages and nests. Vagrants are very rare in western Europe.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Male hooded warblers have a striking black hood and throat encircling a bright yellow face, while females usually show a broken or faint hood. They often flick and fan their tails, flashing white outer tail feathers that may startle insects into moving. Nests are typically placed low in dense shrubs, where they are occasionally parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Hooded Warbler in Audubon's Birds of America
Temperament
secretive but active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile darting
Social Behavior
Generally solitary or in pairs during breeding, with males strongly territorial and singing from the understory. The cup nest is placed low in dense shrubs or saplings, and both parents feed the young. Outside the breeding season it joins mixed-species flocks in the tropics and remains close to dense cover.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A clear, ringing series often rendered as 'ta-wit ta-wit ta-wit tee-yo,' with emphatic, bright notes that carry well through the understory. Calls include a sharp metallic chip used in contact and alarm.
