NFCs: Black-and-white Warbler

The Black-and-white Warbler has a distinctive and, most often, an easily recognizable NFC. All of the following information refers to the dzit or dzinn call. This call is given both diurnally and nocturnally (Evans and O'Brien 2002, Pieplow 2017, Kricher 2020).

Published References

Pieplow (2017) identifies it as a dzit, noting:

Very short, very high buzzy note. Shorter and usually finer than Burry Seet. {The BAWW's is} often rising; see Sreet, p.501.

Dzit... rising or monotone. ... given all year, often in flight, including by night migrants.

Evans and O'Brien (2002) notes:

A delicate "dzinn" with a fine sibilant buzz, often slightly rising. Many calls have a subtle two-parted character, while others are nearly monotone.

Most similar to Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers but the subtle two-parted character is usually distinctive. Also compare to Chestnut-sided Warbler.

Spectrographic description: Measured calls (N=13) were 56-87.5 (68.3) mS in duration and in the 6.6-10.8 (7.2-9.3) kHz frequency range. The frequency track was single or double-banded, typically with an initial relatively short section of descent followed by a longer variably rising and downward-arched section. It was modulated with a spacing of 3.5-4.1 (3.8) mS between humps and a depth of 0.7-1.2 (1) kHz.

Sibley (2016) writes:

Flight call a high, hissing, rising fsss.

Birds of the World notes (Kricher 2020):

Call note is a sharp chip or pit, similar to that of Blackpoll Warbler (Griscom and Sprunt 1957, Terres 1980b), with many variations (Allison in Bent 1953b). During breeding, females call when close to mate and away from nest. Paired males also call sometimes, probably to keep in contact with female. On wintering grounds, call note is a thin, weak tsit or tseep, reportedly difficult for humans to hear (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

It is unclear to me whether the tsit or tseep described in Stiles and Skutch (1989) is different from the chip or pit calls. There is no mention of NFCs in BotW. I also don't know exactly what Sibley was referring to with his fsss.

Stephenson and Whittle (2013) note only that the flight call is "steady often in day", and give the expected spectrogram. They also note:

Complex; Short, Complex sic; modulations far apart so not fully buzzy; sim. to Blackpoll; given during day; "zeep"

Dunne (2006) notes:

Flight call is a short buzzy or hissing "sss."

while Dunn and Garrett (1997) note:

Calls include a full chip or tik, suggestive of a Black-throated Gray Warbler; also a doubled seet-seet or zeet-zeet (sometimes a single zeet), which is also given as a Flight Note.

Example calls

The best call that involves a bird which was seen, recorded, and commented upon in the checklist is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S62295811.

Other calls:

Salient points

This section may not be helpful. The idea is to make it easier to rule out other species more easily without going through the whole list, which may not be possible.

  • Two parted (rules out NOWA, LOWA, KEWA, CSWA)
    • If two-partedness does not involve tail, rules out BWWA
    • If two-partedness does not include modulation changes, rules out GWWA
  • Wavelength under 4.1mS (rules out NOWA, LOWA, KEWA, CSWA)
  • More than 10 waves (rules out NOWA, LOWA, BLPW, KEWA)

Similar species

The following species were noted as being similar by the cited experts. Any notes underneath the species can be used to rule out the other species for particular calls.

When describing this call in comments on an NFC checklist, try and add as many salient notes as possible and refer to this page for justification. If there are any species which seem similar, please get in touch so we can add them here. The intent here is to have a full list of differences for each possible similar call.

All notes for species are coming from Evans and O'Brien (2002), unless where noted.

  • Northern Waterthrush (Pieplow)
    • Always rising
    • Not two-parted
    • Longer spacing between humps: averages 11.2mS
    • Depth can be shallower: 0.4-1.3 (0.7) kHz
    • 3-9 humps
  • Louisiana Waterthrush (Pieplow)
    • LOWA not two-parted
    • LOWA level or slightly rising
    • LOWA humps spaced longer: 13.6-17 (15.6) mS
    • LOWA has almost identical depth to BAWW
    • LOWA has an average of 4.5 humps
  • Kentucky Warbler (Pieplow)
    • Single banded
    • Slightly rising
    • 6 humps
    • Longer spacing: averages 9.2mS to BAWW 3.8mS
    • Depth similar, but depth for KEWA increases over the course of the call
    • Duration similar
  • Blue-winged Warbler
    • Shorter than 70mS
    • Lower than 8.7mS, averaging 5.7-8.2kHz
    • Lower frequency tail at end, lacking in BAWW
    • Average longer space between humps (5.8mS). Can go down to 3.6mS in spacing.
    • Depth averages lower, not larger than 860kHz
  • Golden-winged Warbler (Evans and O'Brien 2002)
    • Can be two parted, but this was due to a switch in modulation from a spacing of 3.7mS, depth 250kHz to 7mS, depth 920kHz.
    • GWWA call not longer than 64mS, so some overlap for short calls, but not for longer ones.
    • Single banded
    • Rising
    • Calls not rising above 8kHz range
  • Chestnut-sided warbler (Evans and O'Brien 2002)
    • BAWW and CSWA similar in length and generally even modulation
    • Not two parted
    • Also monotone, descending, or arched downward
    • Lower on average: highest call is 8kHz.
    • Hump spacing longer and not overlapping: 5.5-7.1 (6.5) mS between humps
    • Can be shallower: .5-1kHz depth, compared to BAWW .7-1.2kHz
  • Blackpoll Warbler (Kricher 2020)
    • Generally shorter, at 40-59.9 (50.2) mS in duration.
    • Lower: not registered above 9.1khZ
    • Single banded
    • 2-4 humps
    • Longer wavelength: averaging 14.6mS
    • Depth can go up to 1.8kHz

References

  • Evans, W. R. and O’Brien, M. (2002) Flight Calls of Migratory Birds Eastern North American Landbirds. Old Bird Inc. [CD-ROM]. Online
  • Kricher, J. C. (2020) Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bawwar.01
  • Pieplow, Nathan (2017) Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: New York.
  • Sibley, David (2016) Sibley Birds East. Knopf: New York.

Referenced but not yet verified

  • Bent, A. C. (1953). Life histories of North American wood warblers. United States National Museum Bulletin 203.
  • Dunn, J. L., & Garrett, K. (1997). A field guide to warblers of North America (Vol. 49). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  • Dunne, Pete (2006) Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: New York.
  • Griscom, L., and A. Sprunt Jr. (1957). The Warblers of America: A Popular Account of the Wood-Warblers as They Occur in the Western Hemisphere. Doubleday, New York, NY, USA.
  • Stephenson, T. and Whittle, S. (2013) The Warbler Guide. Princeton University Press.
  • Stiles, F. G., and A. F. Skutch (1989) A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.
  • Terres, J. K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.