Wilson's Warbler is a tiny, bright, active warbler, lemon-yellow all over with an olive back, and the male sports a crisp, round black cap that looks like a little beret set on top of his head. Restless and quick, it flits low through shrubby thickets and willow tangles, often flicking its tail and hovering to snatch insects, and it tends to forage nearer the ground than many treetop warblers, which makes it easier to see. Its song is a rapid, chattering series of notes that drops in pitch toward the end.
Wilson's Warblers breed in shrubby wet habitats across the far north and in the western mountains, and in Michigan they are passage migrants, moving through in spring and fall in willow and alder thickets, brushy edges, and wet tangles. The neat black cap of the male makes identification easy, while females and young may show only a shadow of the cap. Named for the pioneering ornithologist Alexander Wilson, this little bird is one of the brighter and more approachable migrants of the warbler seasons.
Gleans insects, caterpillars, and spiders from foliage in shrubs and low trees, and frequently hovers or sallies to catch flying insects, foraging actively and often low to the ground. It takes small, soft-bodied prey from willow and alder thickets and brushy edges during migration.
It is a small, bright lemon-yellow warbler with an olive back, and the male has a neat round black cap. Its habit of foraging low and actively in shrubby thickets, often flicking its tail, also helps.
Females and young birds show only a faint, shadowy cap or none at all, so they can be trickier. The overall bright yellow color, olive back, and small size still point to Wilson's Warbler.
As a migrant in spring and fall, in willow and alder thickets, brushy edges, and wet tangles. It breeds in shrubby habitats far to the north and does not nest in the state.
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