Prairie warblers are among the more common summer warblers in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S; despite their name, they do not inhabit prairies. Rather, these colorful and active birds favor overgrown pastures, cedar groves, pine barrens and other pockets of second-growth forest.
Nesting and feeding close to the ground, prairie warblers are easily identified by their olive back, yellow face and underparts and black streaks on their cheeks and sides; their tail wagging habit also aids identification. Primarily insectivores, gleaning prey from the leaves and limbs of small trees and shrubs, they will consume berries on occasion. Their cup-shaped nests are placed within ten feet of the ground and 2-5 eggs are produced; of interest, female prairie warblers consume the egg shells after hatching.
Prairie warblers that breed across the central and eastern U.S. winter in Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean. A subspecies permanently resides in South Florida, favoring mangroves but also inhabiting shrubby flatwoods.
