© Bill Duke
Brewster's Warbler
Vermivora chrysoptera x Vermivora cyanoptera
Family: (Parulidae) Wood-Warblers
Preferred Habitat: Thickets; edges of fields, pastures and woods with young trees
Seasonal Occurrence: Most likely in early and mid-April; fall migration is mid-September to early October
Notes: Clad in gray save its varying saffron crown and wing bars, the “Brewster’s” Warbler appears in a reverse color palette to the Blue-winged, and for good reason. This is the most common physical manifestation of the hybridization between a Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warbler. Though the two appear and sound different, they hybridize readily where their ranges and habitats overlap, a region that has grown in past decades as land use and climate change allow Blue-winged Warblers to expand ever northward. The prevalence of hybrids is a concern for conservationists as Golden-winged Warbler populations have declined as much as 66% in recent decades due to habitat loss and displacement by Blue-wingeds. Though never common, a handful of “Brewster’s” Warblers are found in our High Island sanctuaries each spring and serve as a reminder of the messy and dynamic reality of what we call “species”.
- Wyatt Egelhoff
