STATUS: Uncommon.
HABITAT: Inhabits rank growth near the borders of swamps or streams, woodland edges, brushy overgrown fields and pastures, thickets, and second-growth woods. Prefers old fields with saplings greater than 10 feet tall. Prefers more moist habitats than the golden-winged warbler, a closely related species with which it competes and, in some areas, hybridizes.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Brushy habitats near water.
NEST: Builds nests on the ground, attached to upright stems of weeds or grass clumps. Usually nests in loose aggregations or colonies among bushes, ferns, tangles of vines, or grasses.
FOOD: Gleans insects and spiders from leaves, twigs, and buds among branches near the tops of trees.
REFERENCES: Confer and Knapp 1981, DeGraff et al. 1980, Griscom and Sprunt 1979, Harrison 1975, Johnsgard 1979, Robbins et al. 1983.