Hooded Warbler: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Little Birds of the Americas · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. The male wears a black hood around a bright yellow face. Young males only get their hood at about 9 to 12 months old.
2. Its song is a series of musical notes. A popular way to remember it is the phrase 'The red, the red T-shirt'.
3. It has two ways of singing: one pattern over and over to attract a mate, or a jumble of 3 or 4 patterns to 'negotiate' with neighbours.
4. In winter, males and females live apart: males stay in forests, while females settle in brushy fields and shrubby areas.
5. It nests in gaps inside thick forest and keeps away from the forest edge.

The quiz

1. At what age do young males get their black hood?

• At hatching
• At 9 to 12 months (correct)
• At 1 week
• At 5 years

Males get their hood at about 9 to 12 months; before that they look like females.

2. Which phrase helps birders remember its song?

• Drink your tea
• Who cooks for you
• The red, the red T-shirt (correct)
• Cheeseburger

A common mnemonic for its song is 'The red, the red T-shirt'.

3. What may the irregular mix of song patterns be for?

• Warning of rain
• Calling chicks to eat
• Scaring off snakes
• 'Negotiating' with nearby warblers (correct)

The repeat mode attracts a mate; the mixed mode seems to deal with neighbours.

4. Where do female hooded warblers spend the winter?

• In brushy fields and shrubby areas (correct)
• In the same forests as the males
• On beaches
• In city parks only

Males prefer forests in winter, while females take up shrubby areas.

5. Where does the hooded warbler like to nest?

• On open beaches
• On rocky cliffs
• In gaps inside thick forest (correct)
• Right at the forest edge

It nests in gaps in heavily forested areas, away from the edge.

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