The eye has a dull white ring, the bill is dark brown at the tip and the upper mandible and buff colored at the base, and the legs are pinkish. Occasionally they feed on arboreal insects, snails, and small salamanders. Sweeping motions of the bill may be used to turn over leaves to reveal prey, and fruits are swallowed whole. Most birds returning from the wintering grounds take a new mate each year. Mate guarding and extra-pair copulation have not been documented in this species.
Males begin to sing at dawn and dusk a few days after their arrival at breeding grounds.
Some males arrive on the breeding grounds several days before the earliest females to establish territories, while other males arrive at the same time as females. The majority of females lay their first eggs in mid May, with older females laying sooner. Most pairs attempt to rear a second brood usually no later than late July, with the last young fledging around mid August. The nest site is usually chosen and constructed by the female in trees or shrubs, primarily in the crotch or other spot with support and cover. Birds usually arrive on the U.S. Gulf coast during the first week of April, with most birds arriving in mid April.