Family: Parulidae, Wood Warblers view all from this family

Description 5 1/2" (14 cm). Olive green above, bright yellow below; black forecrown, lores, and sides of throat; bright yellow "spectacles." No wing bars. Sexes similar.

Habitat Low, moist, rich woodlands with luxuriant undergrowth; often ravines.

Nesting 4 or 5 brown-spotted white eggs in a nest of dead leaves lined with grass, hair, and rootlets, placed on or near the ground.

Range Breeds from Iowa and Indiana east to New Jersey, and south to southeastern United States. Winters in tropics.

Voice   Loud, penetrating, rich tur-dle, tur-dle, tur-dle, tur-dle, reminiscent of song of Carolina Wren.

Discussion Named for the state where it was discovered in 1811 by Alexander Wilson, father of American ornithology, this bird is actually no more common in Kentucky than elsewhere in its range. Usually heard before it is seen, the rather secretive Kentucky Warbler remains hidden, especially in ravines with thick vegetation and running streams.