The Canada Warbler is a dapper warbler of shady, shrubby forests, blue-gray above and bright yellow below, set off by a distinctive necklace of black streaks across the chest and bold yellow "spectacles" around the eyes. Lively and inquisitive, it forages actively in the understory and often flycatches, darting out to grab insects in the air, and it flicks its tail as it moves. Its song is a rich, sputtering jumble of notes, often beginning with a sharp "chip" and tumbling out in an irregular burst.
One of the last warblers to arrive in spring and among the first to leave in fall, the Canada Warbler is a long-distance migrant that winters in the northern Andes of South America. It breeds in moist forests with a dense shrub layer — wooded swamps, shady ravines, and damp mixed woods — across northern Michigan. Although the IUCN ranks it as Least Concern, it has been declining across parts of its range and is a species of conservation attention, tied closely to the availability of shrubby, moist forest understory.
Gleans insects, caterpillars, and spiders from the shrub understory and often sallies out to catch flying insects, foraging actively in the low, dense layers of moist forest. It takes a wide range of insect prey and flicks its tail as it hunts through the understory.
Look for a warbler that is blue-gray above and bright yellow below, with a "necklace" of black streaks across the chest and yellow spectacles around the eyes. Its active, tail-flicking, flycatching behavior in the understory is also distinctive.
In moist forests with a dense shrub understory — wooded swamps, shady ravines, and damp mixed woods — mainly in the northern part of the state. It needs a well-developed shrub layer.
Only briefly. It is among the last warblers to arrive in spring and among the first to depart in fall, being a long-distance migrant that winters in the Andes of South America.
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