Great New Tips for Identifying Warblers—From the Authors of The Warbler Guide

In 2013, the publication of The Warbler Guide by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle took a comprehensive and innovative look at warblers. In this archived Monday Night Seminar, the authors relate some of their best tips for learning to recognize warblers by both sight and sound. They describe important but often overlooked ID clues, including overall contrast, subtle facial features, color impressions, feather edging, rump contrast, and views from below, as well as foraging style, location, and behavior. Learn how even partial views can be used to identify warbler species.

This talk took place on March 17, 2014, as part of the Cornell Lab’s long-running Monday Night Seminar series, a long-standing tradition established decades ago by Lab founder Dr. Arthur Allen. If you enjoyed this seminar, check this list for our list of future speakers—we’ll note which upcoming talks will be livestreamed—or come visit us in person! If you missed any talks, please see our index of archived livestreamed seminars.

Looking for more tools to help with warbler identification?

• In our review of The Warbler Guide, we highly recommended the book as an innovative and comprehensive resource on this spectacular bird family.
• Download these free Quick Finder guides excerpted from The Warbler Guide. You can print these out or put the images on your smartphone for easy access in the field.
• An essential part of finding and identifying warblers is learning their songs. Our review of birdsong-learning apps can help you find one that works for you.