Visual Identification

Cape May Warblers are small birds with yellow bellies. Their belly has black streaks (male), being gray on the female and immature bird. They have white undertail coverts and a large white wingbar, covering their dark olive/yellow-grayish wing. They have an olive/deep-yellow mantle with slight dark streaking, lighter in female and immature birds. Their face is yellow with a dark black streak and cap (male), being dark-grayish yellow on females and immature birds. Males have a rufous triangle going across their auriculars and supercilium (eyebrow). Their rump is yellow and their tail is gray on the top and white on the bottom with dark edges. Fall, female, and immature birds may show wear, making them very pale and gray. This may make their belly lighter or give them a gray hood appearance. Immature males have slight rufous face patches. Cape Mays have black legs and a black bill, but sometimes their bill and legs might show some yellow or deep pink.

Voice

Voice is currently unknown to us.

Habitat

They seem to spend most of their time in forested areas. This includes mature forest, riparian forest, stream side forest, and conifer groves. They prefer to be near streams.

Behavior

Cape May Warblers, like almost every warbler are very active. Cape Mays spend most of their time high in the trees. They will hover glean and pick insects from leaves but do not creep up trunks.

Comparisons

Where and When to see them

They are uncommon at Long Branch Park and Glencarylan park. The best place for viewing them is the intersection of South Greenbrier Street and the longbranch trail. They are seen best in the morning during early May. Search the nearby streams also.