Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2021 is “Sing, Fly, Soar—Like a Bird!” Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.
Endemic Bird of the Day: Arrowhead Warbler
The endemic Arrowhead Warbler is locally known as Ants Picker. This bird has never been in doubt of its identity even though scientists recently changed the species name from Arrow-headed Warbler (Dendroica pharetra) to Arrowhead Warbler (Setophaga pharetra). The Arrowhead Warbler is Jamaica’s only endemic warbler. It is a small active bird with heavy black-and-white streaking and two white wing bars. It might be confused with the migrant Black-and-White Warbler, however, the blackish arrowhead shapes from throat to abdomen, pointing towards the bill, make it readily distinguishable from this winter visitor. In addition, the Arrowhead Warbler does not forage on tree trunks like the Black-and-White Warbler. Female Arrowhead Warblers are similar to males but with dark gray streaking. First year birds have a dull olive-green head, brownish-olive upperparts, yellowish-buff underparts, with no arrowhead streaking and indistinct wing bars. They can sometimes be confused with immature Jamaican Vireos. To tell them apart, look very carefully at the beak—it’s small, fine, and dark grey on the Arrowhead Warbler; chunky and pinkish on the Jamaican Vireo. Arrowhead Warblers are locally common. They occur in a variety of woodland and forest habitats from near sea level into the more humid forests and elevations of Cockpit Country and the Blue Mountains. They are usually seen as an individual or in a small family group, within 3 meters or so of the ground, among thick leaves or tangled undergrowth cover. On many occasions, it is the high-pitched, almost metallic, squeaky sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, swee, swee that first draws your attention. Look carefully and you will spot this special warbler, flicking its tail as it moves around, probing for insects on branches, leaves, and vines. The nest is well concealed in a bush, vine, bromeliad, or tree. It is a compact cup of densely woven, fine roots, lined with moss or lichen. Clutch size is 2-4 eggs. The nesting season is mainly from March to June, but nesting can also occur in November following heavy rains in October. Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.
Colour in the Arrowhead Warbler
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Arrowhead Warbler
The song of the Arrowhead Warbler is a high-pitched, squeaky sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, sww-sw—swee, swee, swee. Puzzle of the Day Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS: Can you remember the difference between the Arrowhead Warbler and the other similar small birds you might meet on Jamaica? Make sure to read our fascinating facts in this post and then test your memory skills in our Arrowhead Warbler matching game ! 
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: There are many different warblers you might encounter in the Caribbean! Some of them are endemics, like the Arrowhead Warbler and live in the Caribbean all year round, others are migratory and only visit during fall or over the winter. Some of these birds can look similar to each other and it can be confusing trying to identify them. Take a look at this helpful guide, from wildlife artist Christine Elder, for identifying warblers. Add colors of the bird you see, look at its behavior and add some notes to help you identify and remember it. You can also take a look at this article all about Identifying Warblers in the Caribbean with detailed tips and tricks to help you. Enjoy this video of an Arrowhead Warbler in the wild! This little bird was filmed in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. You can see it hopping around amongst the vegetation, searching for insects to glean from the leaves. https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2016/06/identifying-warblers-in-the-caribbean/