Blackpoll warbler
Dendroica striata
Identification Tips:
- Small, active, insect-eating bird
- White wing bars
- Thin, pointed bill
- White spots visible on underside of tail
- Yellow legs
Adult male alternate:
- Black crown and malar streak
- White face
- Upperparts streaked black and white
- Underparts mostly white with black streaks on the sides
- Female's body plumage is similar but lacks the distinctive head pattern
Basic and immature:
- Greenish crown, nape and back with thin black streaks
- Indistinct supercilium
- Breast paler than upperparts with faint darker streaks
- White belly and undertail coverts
Similar species:
In alternate plumage, the black crown and white face of the male are
somewhat similar to the Black-and-white Warbler but it has a striped crown
and a different feeding strategy (it creeps along trunks and branches).
Basic (fall) and immature plumages are very dull and most similar to
Bay-breasted and Pine Warblers. The Bay-breasted Warbler has black legs,
buffy undertail coverts, and a less streaky breast. Pine Warbler lacks black
streaks on the back, has black legs and is often yellower on the throat and
breast.