A drab, gray warbler of the Southwest. Adult male is gray overall with dusky flight feathers and tail, dark rufous rump, white undertail coverts, a faint pale supercilium, and rufous-edged crown feathers. Female has nearly invisible rufous coloration on crown and buffy wash on underparts. Juvenile has orange rump and buffy edging on wing feathers.

Length: 11 (cm) Wingspan: 18 (cm)

Voice:

Song is a varying trill with sharp notes at the end, sometimes complex phrases. Call is a single, hard, metallic note.

Habitat:

Riparian zones, woodlands, thickets, scrubby areas.

Behavior:

Lucy's, along with Prothonotary, is unique among North American warblers in choosing to nest in tree cavities. Heard more often than seen, due to vocal habits and drab plumage. One of the earliest spring migrants to arrive in the southwest.

Feeding:

Forages actively among vegetation; eats insects and invertebrates. Occasionally visits sugar water feeders.