Setophaga cerulea
Silhouette: Dylan GE Gomes · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The cerulean warbler (Setophaga cerulea) is a small songbird in the family Parulidae. It is a long-distance migrant, breeding in eastern North American hardwood forests and wintering on the Eastern slope of the Andes in South America during non-breeding season, preferring subtropical forests.
It displays strong sexual dichromatism: Adult males have cerulean blue and white upperparts, with a black necklace across the breast and black streaks on the back and flanks. Females and immature birds have bluish-green upperparts, a pale stripe over the eye, no streaking, and are yellow below. All have two white wing bars and a thin, pointed bill.
The cerulean warbler is insectivorous and predominantly feeds on insect larvae, though it also comsumes winged insects. It forages for prey and nests high in forest canopies. Individuals are strongly territorial; males will defend areas of forests. Males arrive on breeding grounds about one to two weeks earlier than females. Breeding and incubation take place from late May to early June.
The species is rated as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of endangered species, indicating it is under risk of becoming vulnerable in the near future. The population of the cerulean warbler has been under rapid decline, though in recent years this decline has slowed. Deforestation in its non-breeding range continues to reduce its available habitat. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 6 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cerulean Warbler sighting in Bogota on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 157th most-seen of the 231 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cerulean Warbler in Bogota on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cerulean Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 14 cities where we can rate Cerulean Warbler sightings, Bogota ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Toronto (Canada, under 5%) and Houston (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Setophaga
The closest relatives of the Cerulean Warbler that you can see in Bogota (genus Setophaga, Setophaga Warblers) are Blackburnian Warbler (about 20%), Yellow Warbler (about 10%) and Northern Yellow Warbler (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cerulean Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Bogota (30 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
