Family: Parulidae, Wood Warblers view all from this family

Description 5" (13 cm). A plain warbler, olive-brown above and whitish beneath, with rufous cap and whitish line over eye.

Habitat Wooded swamps and southern canebrakes; also rhododendron thickets in the mountains.

Nesting 3 bluish-white eggs in a loose, bulky nest of vegetable fibers, rootlets, and dead leaves, placed in a dense bush or vine.

Range Breeds from northeastern Oklahoma, southern Illinois, southern Virginia, and southern Delaware south to southeastern United States. Winters in tropics.

Voice   3 or 4 clear notes followed by several rapid descending notes, described as whee-whee-whee-whip-poor-will; similar to song of Louisiana Waterthrush.

Discussion This dull-colored warbler is shy and retiring, dwelling in remote, often impenetrable swamps and cane thickets. If not for its song -- like that of a Louisiana Waterthrush -- it would frequently be overlooked. It is named after William Swainson, an early-19th-century British naturalist.