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warbler

1. One who, or that which, warbles; a singer; a songster; applied chiefly to birds. In lulling strains the feathered warblers woo. (Tickell)

2. (Science: ornithology) Any one of numerous species of small old world singing birds belonging to the family Sylviidae, many of which are noted songsters. The bluethroat, blackcap, reed warbler (see under Reed), and sedge warbler (see under Sedge) are well-known species.

3. (Science: ornithology) Any one of numerous species of small, often bright coloured, American singing birds of the family or subfamily Mniotiltidae, or Sylvicolinae. They are allied to the old world warblers, but most of them are not particularly musical.

The American warblers are often divided, according to their habits, into bush warblers, creeping warblers, fly-catching warblers, ground warblers, wood warblers, wormeating warblers, etc. Bush warbler, any one of numerous American warblers of the genus Dendroica. Among the most common wood warblers in the Eastern states are the yellowbird, or yellow warbler (see under Yellow), the black-throated green warbler (Dendroica virens), the yellow-rumped warbler (D. Coronata), the blackpoll (D. Striata), the bay-breasted warbler (D. Castanea), the chestnut-sided warbler (D. Pennsylvanica), the Cape May warbler (D. Tigrina), the prairie warbler (see under Prairie), and the pine warbler (D. Pinus). See also magnolia warbler, and blackburnian warbler.