Male
Female
Description
Size: 5”
Plumage/Description: A brightly colored warbler. Males have a bold facial pattern with a black crown, auriculars, and black extending down the throat to the flanks. Yellow eye stripe and cheek, as well as yellow on breast and flanks. Two white wing bars, a white belly, and white outer tail feathers. Wings and tail are gray. The back in both males and females is an olive-green color. Females are similar to males but colors are more muted–the facial pattern, and the throat is mostly yellow and lacks the bold contrast of black that appears in males.
Habitat: Pinyon/Juniper, Ponderosa/Coniferous, Riparian/Deciduous
Time of year: Spring, Fall.
Relative Abundance: Common as a transient species
Behavior: Townsend’s Warblers pass through the Prescott area on their way north in the spring and on their way south in the fall. As a transient species it is possible to see them outside of their ‘preferred’ habitat which is coniferous forests. Like all warblers they are an active foliage gleaner as they search for insects.
Diet: Insects
Similar species: Black-throated Green Warbler
Best Sites: Gold Water Lake, Lynx Lake, Granite Basin, Watson Woods
