Virginia's Warbler

Vermivora virginiae

Virginia's Warbler is a bird of dry, brushy canyons of the western U.S.  Virginia's Warbler was unknown in South Dakota until 1997, when many dozens of breeding pairs were found in extreme western Custer County (SDOU -- "Birds of South Dakota" -- 2002).  

Habitat: Prefers low, dry, brushy habitats of the western U.S., including oak canyons, pinyon-juniper woods, and scrub oak.

Diet: Diet not known in detail, but nearly exclusively eats insects as with most warblers.

Nesting: Late May through July

Breeding Map: Breeds in southwestern South Dakota, but Breeding Bird Survey map unavailable. 

Song: To listen to this species, click here to go to the "E-nature.com" site for the Virginia's Warbler, and click on "listen to this species". 

Migrations: Summers throughout much of the inland western U.S.  Neotropical migrant, wintering in Central and South America.

Similar Species: Similar to Lucy's Warbler and the Colima Warbler, neither of which is normally found near South Dakota.

Status: Generally stable throughout its range, with some evidence of range expansion, especially in California.

Further Information: 1) USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Virginia's Warbler

2) eNature.com - Virginia's Warbler

Photo Information: May 24th, 2003 -- Flag Hill Spring, Custer County -- Doug Backlund

Return to Species Page

Return to Main Page

Proud Member Of:

Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl

This page was last edited on 02/03/08