Cape May Warbler
Learn to identify the Cape May Warbler by ear. Master the "tsee-tsee-tsee-tsi-tsi-tsi!" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Cape May Warbler sounds like
A very high, wiry series of notes that can speed up or rise slightly at the end. It is easy to miss if the bird is high overhead in wind or conifers.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Cape May Warblers breed mainly in Canada and the northeasternmost U.S., then migrate to the Caribbean and parts of Central America for winter. Most birders see them best during spring and fall migration.
It breeds in dense spruce and fir forests, especially in the boreal north. During migration, look for it in treetops, flowering trees, orchards, and sheltered wood edges.
Spring males are dazzling and easier to spot, often feeding high in fresh leaves or blossoms. Numbers can swing wildly from year to year, depending on spruce budworm outbreaks on the breeding grounds.
How to recognize it by sight
A tiny warbler with big personality, the Cape May Warbler glows with yellow, chestnut, and black in spring. Males look boldly striped, while females are softer olive and yellow, but both often flash a bright yellow rump and a neat white wing patch as they forage high in the trees.
Similar species
Blackburnian Warbler
Male Blackburnian shows a blazing orange throat instead of a yellow, streaked breast.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped is chunkier and usually less finely striped below.
Pine Warbler
Pine Warbler looks plainer and more evenly yellow-green, without strong streaking in most birds.