A secretive little bird

By Aaron Horrell

I was lucky the morning of May 6 when this little bird flew into my location. It is a common songbird, but not an easy one to photograph. In fact if you see one it will probably be a quick fleeting meeting.

This bird is a Kentucky warbler. It is a migratory bird that visits Southeast Missouri in late spring and stays until autumn. Kentucky is pretty much the middle of its summer range. It winters on the islands of the Caribbean, Central America and the northern edge of South America.

The Kentucky warbler is mostly a ground dweller. It nests on the ground in weeds, at the edge of a brush pile or under a thick low-growing bush.