The term "warbler" seems to be a misnomer since most of these birds usually produce a buzzing insect-like sound that can hardly be described as a warble, but their varied and brilliant colors and patterns have made them a favorite of bird watchers everywhere. Warblers are generally small birds under 5 inches in length though some such as the Kirtland's Warbler is as large as 6 inches. The Yellow-breasted Chat can be as large as 7 1/2 inches but that is unusual for warblers. Since insects make up the bulk of the diet for most warblers, most will migrate during winter when their food source becomes scarce. Although it may appear that warblers occupy the same areas in the woods they also divide the forest into layers and thus a warbler that forages for food on the ground is not in direct competition with the warbler that gleans its food from the treetops. As you will find as you read the various warbler pages fragmentation of the forests has provided conditions favorable to the parasitism of the Brown-headed Cowbird. This together with the loss of winter habitat contributes to the decline of our eastern songbirds. While fragmentation of the forest has led to declines, some species have benefited from the production of successional growth as farmland has returned to woodland. Controlled burns are also an important conservation tool for the species that require this type of growth.
