Those found in North America are migratory, spending only the summer north of tropical regions. They are brightly plumed in the spring, usually yellow marked with black, gray, olive green, or white, but after the autumn molt they become uniformly drab. There are a few exceptions to the generally low level of vocal ability in the New World warblers. The North American ovenbird, which looks like a miniature thrush, has a melodious flight song and is not to be confused with the true ovenbirds, which belong to the family Furnariidae. The water thrush is also a superior singer.
Warblers are unusual in that they hybridize.
They are of inestimable value as destroyers of insect enemies of forest trees. Warblers are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, families Parulidae and Sylviidae. Listing from Electric Library , a pay service. Copyright 2001 Infonautics Corporation . All rights reserved.