Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Worm-eating Warbler haunts the forest interior, where its mechanical-sounding trills can be heard along steep, leaf-carpeted hillsides. They are the only member of its genus, Helmitheros, and are not closely related to any other warbler species. Both its genus and species name refer to eating worms, and give this bird its common name. But there's a catch – the Worm-eating Warbler doesn't actually eat earthworms, a food item more associated with an American Robin or American Woodcock.
What does it eat? Caterpillars, of course! Since this warbler feeds heavily on the caterpillar larvae of many types of moths and butterflies, it became associated with the inaccurate descriptor "worm-eating." While many birds eat caterpillars, Worm-eating Warblers have a particularly special way of finding these juicy tubes of protein: probing into suspended dead leaves, which sometimes even "leaves" them hanging upside down!
Learn more about the Worm-eating Warbler on our website: abcbirds.org/bird/worm-eating-warbler
The Worm-eating Warbler haunts the forest interior, where its mechanical-sounding trills can be heard along steep, leaf-carpeted hillsides. They are the only member of its genus, Helmitheros, and are not closely related to any other warbler species. Both its genus and species name refer to eating worms, and give this bird its common name. But there's a catch – the Worm-eating Warbler doesn't actually eat earthworms, a food item more associated with an American Robin or American Woodcock.
What does it eat? Caterpillars, of course! Since this warbler feeds heavily on the caterpillar larvae of many types of moths and butterflies, it became associated with the inaccurate descriptor "worm-eating." While many birds eat caterpillars, Worm-eating Warblers have a particularly special way of finding these juicy tubes of protein: probing into suspended dead leaves, which sometimes even "leaves" them hanging upside down!
Learn more about the Worm-eating Warbler on our website: abcbirds.org/bird/worm-eating-warbler
