Cerulean Warbler Dendroica cerulea

The cerulean warbler is a beautiful blue songbird that nests in larger, older forests. Of Minnesota's 234 kinds of breeding birds, the cerulean warbler is one of about 130 neotropical migrants, which means winters are spent in Central or South America and young are raised in summer in North America. It is important to have healthy habitats in both places for these birds to survive. The cerulean warbler winters in the Andes mountains of South America and returns to Minnesota from late April to mid-May. They usually breed once per season and lay 3-5 eggs. Besides being rare, the cerulean warbler is a small bird that spends most of the time in the tops of trees, so it is difficult to see. It is usually identified by its songs.