Where do warblers often feed during their brief stops, contrary to where new birders search?
Answer
Mid-story or canopy of trees
A common pitfall for birders new to observing warblers is looking too low. Since warblers are constantly moving and burning vast amounts of energy while refueling, they primarily forage in the vertical structure of vegetation where insects are abundant. Specifically, they concentrate their feeding activities in the mid-story or the upper canopy layers of established trees, such as oaks and maples. This contrasts sharply with the ground level, where new observers might waste time looking into the leaf litter, missing the active foraging occurring overhead in the leafy crowns.
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