Cape May Warbler
The Cape May Warbler gets its name from the fact that the first specimen was collected at Cape May, New Jersey, where it is sometimes a common migrant. In breeding plumage, the male is yellow below with a conspicuous chestnut cheek patch, yellow neck patch, white wing patch, yellow rump and heavy black streaks on underparts. The female is much duller, with a greenish-yellow patch on its neck. The song of the Cape May Warbler is four or more high thin notes without change in pitch or volume, seet-seet-seet-seet.

The Cape May Warbler consumes insects caught by flycatching or gleaning the tips of dense branches and new buds of conifers near the tops of trees. It also eats spiders and occasionally vineyard grapes. The Cape May Warbler builds its nest invariably in the uppermost clump of thick foliage near the top of tall conifers, generally invisible from below. Little is known about the nesting biology of this species, mainly because it tends to nest so high in conifers, and females tend to land near the tree base and move up through the tree rather than fly to the nest.

The Cape May Warbler breeds from southern Mackenzie, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec south to North Dakota, Michigan, northern New York, Maine and Nova Scotia. It winters in southern Florida and the West Indies. The Cape May Warbler prefers open spruce forests. During migration it can be found in evergreen or deciduous woodlands, parks or suburban yards.
Cape May Warbler Range Map

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