Scientific Name:   Cistothorus stellaris

Length:   3.9-4.7 in (10-12 cm)

Weight:   0.3-0.3 oz (7-10 g)

Wingspan:   4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)

Nest:   They build multiple nests which serve for nesting, as dormitories and as decoys for predators. The females will then add a lining of grass, plant down, animal hair, sedge and feathers to the nest she chooses. The nest is a round globular ball woven, with a small entrance on the side.

Eggs:   4-8. White, unmarked. Incubation is by female only, about 14 days.

Feeding Behavior:   Forages very low in dense low growth of sedges and grass, creeping about and searching for insects among the vegetation and on the ground. May sometimes make short flights to catch insects in the air. They eat many types of insects such as moths, flies and grasshoppers.

Young:   Both parents feed young but female may do more. Young leave nest about 12-14 days after hatching.

Range:   During the breeding season they are found in the southern half of Alberta and Saskatchewan and in southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada and in the United States, west of the Appalachians, from the Canadian border to Missouri and northern Arkansas. During migration and winter they are found from the southern half of Arkansas down to Texas and Florida.

Brief Description:   Females and males have the same plumage but males are slightly larger. Their head and back are tawny brown streaked with black and white. They have a pale buff head feathers and brown irises. Their rump is orange and tail is tawny brown bared with black. Wings are tawny brown bared with black, white and pale buff. They have a white throat and belly with pale buff on the side.