Point Pelee National Park Migratory Birds

A ground-dwelling warbler with bold black streaking and an orange crown patch bordered by black. During migration it moves through deciduous forest floors at Point Pelee, where its distinctive loud 'teacher-teacher' song is often the best cue to presence.

Look for bold streaking that converges into a central dark patch on the breast, the orange crown ringed by black, and ground-foraging behavior in leaf litter; listen for the distinctive teacher-teacher song.

Common Confusions

• Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis Northern Waterthrush frequents boggy areas and shows bolder eye-stripes and a more heavily streaked throat; it also walks confidently on wet mud unlike the Ovenbird.
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla Louisiana is larger, with a white throat and stronger supercilium and is always associated with running water, versus Ovenbird’s forest-floor habitat.
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina Wood Thrush is larger, with rounded spots and a powerful flute-like song; Ovenbird is a compact warbler with streaks and a churring 'teacher' phrase.
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Common Yellowthroat is smaller, with a flat head and (male) black mask; Ovenbird is plumper with streaked underparts and a crown patch.
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus Hermit Thrush has a more robin-like posture and rufous tail and sings a flute-like descending song rather than Ovenbird’s repeated two-note call.