Prairie Warbler

A series of buzzy "zee" notes that rise in pitch toward the end. Typically about 7–10 notes delivered rapidly in a row, each slightly higher than the last. It has a dry, buzzy quality. This distinctive rising buzz is often described as sounding like someone quickly tightening a string. Males often sing from atop a shrub or small tree in their scrubby habitat.

Migratory populations breed across the eastern and south-central United States and winter mainly in the Caribbean, with some in Florida and coastal Central America. A distinctive mangrove population remains year-round in far southern Florida, especially the Keys and Everglades.

Early successional and scrubby habitats. Prefers brushy fields, regenerating forests, powerline cuts, pine scrub, and coastal mangrove thickets (in Florida). Often found in areas with scattered small trees or shrubs and plenty of open, sunny patches. They avoid mature forest interiors, instead thriving in shrubby edges and young regrowth areas where vegetation is low and patchy.

Males arrive on breeding grounds in spring (April in many areas) and immediately establish territories with persistent singing. Breeding occurs through early summer in shrubby fields that may only remain habitat for a few years as succession proceeds (so they often shift local breeding sites as habitat changes). Come late summer (August), they depart for winter quarters. Many Prairie Warblers migrate to and through Florida in fall (August-September) on their way to the Caribbean. A distinctive subspecies in the Florida Keys breeds in late winter and spring and can be found all year in small numbers in South Florida. By early spring, migratory birds move northward (March-April). During winter in the tropics, they are often found in mangroves or scrub, sometimes mixing with other warblers.

A small, active warbler with bright coloration and distinctive streaking. Adult males are bright yellow below with bold black streaks on the sides, and a yellow face marked with a black eyeline and semicircular arc under the eye (giving a "spectacled" look). The back is olive with some chestnut brown streaks or spots on the upper back (especially in males). Females and immatures are similar but a bit paler, with less obvious streaking and face pattern (the black markings are more muted gray-brown). The species often pumps its tail up and down habitually, which is a good behavioral clue.