Warbler | Types, Habits & Migration | Britannica (original) (raw)

warbler, any of various species of small songbirds belonging predominantly to the Sylviidae (sometimes considered a subfamily, Sylviinae, of the family Muscicapidae), Parulidae, and Peucedramidae families of the order Passeriformes. Warblers are small, active insect eaters found in gardens, woodlands, and marshes.

The Old World warblers of the family Sylviidae comprise almost 350 species and are intimately related to the thrushes and the Old World flycatchers. Members of the family occur mainly from Europe and Asia to Australia and Africa, but a few of these birds, notably the kinglet (Regulus) and gnatcatcher (Polioptila), live in the Americas. Many warblers of Europe are familiar enough to have received special names, such as the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), the whitethroat (S. communis), and the chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita). Reed (see photograph), bush, and swamp warblers (Acrocephalus, Bradypterus, Calamocichla, and Cettia) are mostly brown-plumaged and harsh-voiced birds. Among other well-known genera of Old World warblers are the fantail warblers (see cisticola) and longtail warblers (see prinia).

Old World warblers are rather drab, with green, olive, brown, buff, and black the predominant colours. They are mostly small birds (from 9 to 26 cm [3.5 to 10 inches]), and their slender bills are adapted for gleaning insects from foliage. Their nests vary from simple cups to domed structures placed in trees, bushes, or grass or hidden in the ground. The tailorbirds (Orthotomus) of India sew leaves together into purse-shaped containers for their nests. Old World warblers’ eggs are usually speckled, and the young are cared for by both parents.

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The New World warblers, or woodwarblers, of the family Parulidae comprise about 120 species of small songbirds. Although these birds are closely related to the New World tanagers, they take their name from their superficial resemblance in form, structure, and habits to the distantly related Old World warblers. The woodwarblers are mainly found in North and Central America and live in forest, brush, or swampy grass country. They are small birds, ranging up to 18 cm (7 inches) in length, and are more brightly coloured than Old World warblers. Many woodwarblers have weak, lisping songs, but a few have loud voices. Their feeding and nesting habits resemble those of Old World warblers. See woodwarbler.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy.