Diet

• Primarily insects, including caterpillars, beetles, flies, aphids, leafhoppers, ants, and spiders.

• Also consumes small berries and other soft fruits during migration and on the wintering grounds.

• Forages actively in shrubs and the middle canopy, gleaning insects from leaves and twigs and occasionally making short aerial sallies.

Range

• Breeds across southern Canada, the northeastern United States, and the Great Lakes region.

• Winters from southern Mexico through Central America to Panama.

• A regular winter visitor to the Zihuatanejo region, where it inhabits tropical dry forests, woodland edges, secondary forests, gardens, shaded plantations, and brushy habitats.

• Most commonly observed from October through April.

Male / Female

• Male (breeding): White underparts with bold chestnut stripes along the flanks, bright yellow crown, black facial markings, olive-green back, and white wing bars.

• Female: Similar but duller, with paler chestnut flanks, weaker facial markings, and less vivid yellow on the crown.

• Winter plumage: Both sexes become greener above with reduced facial markings and less obvious chestnut flanks, although the pattern is usually still visible.

• Juveniles: Olive-green above with pale underparts and little or no chestnut on the sides.

• Sexes are similar, but breeding males are much brighter and more boldly marked.

Size

• Length: 11–13 cm (4.3–5.1 in)

• Wingspan: 19–21 cm (7.5–8.3 in)

• Weight: 8–13 g (0.28–0.46 oz)