Family: Parulidae, Wood Warblers view all from this family

Description 5 1/2" (14 cm). Sparrow-sized. Plain brownish above and below, with conspicuous dark and light crown stripes. Sexes look alike.

Habitat Chiefly dry wooded hillsides.

Nesting 4 or 5 brown-spotted white eggs in a ground nest of dead leaves lined with moss.

Range Breeds from southeastern Iowa, Ohio, New York, and southern New England south to northeastern Texas, central Gulf Coast states, and eastern North Carolina. Winters in tropics.

Voice   Song like that of Chipping Sparrow, but faster, buzzy, and more insect-like.

Discussion The Worm-eating Warbler spends much of its time on or near the ground, quietly searching for its insect prey in leaf litter and low vegetation. A singing male, however, often perches rather high up in a forest tree, where its habit of sitting motionless for long periods of time makes it very difficult to spot. The name "Worm-eating" reflects the bird's fondness for the small larvae of moths.