warbler

American  

[wawr-bler] / ˈwɔr blər /

noun

1. any of several small, chiefly Old World songbirds of the subfamily Sylviidae.

2. Also called wood warbler.  any of numerous small New World songbirds of the family Parulidae, many species of which are brightly colored.

3. a person or thing that warbles.

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warbler British  

/ ˈwɔːblə /

noun

1. a person or thing that warbles

2. any small active passerine songbird of the Old World subfamily Sylviinae: family Muscicapidae. They have a cryptic plumage and slender bill and are arboreal insectivores

3. Also called: wood warbler.  any small bird of the American family Parulidae, similar to the Old World forms but often brightly coloured

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Etymology

Origin of warbler

First recorded in 1605–15; warble ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The research focused on the Seychelles warbler, a small songbird that lives on Cousin Island in the Seychelles.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

Some folks ask about whether I or a friend were “seeing anything good,” dismissing our responses if we didn’t say, for example, blackburnian warbler or golden-winged warbler.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2025

The most common type found was the palm warbler, of which there were more than 300, followed by the yellow-rumped warbler.

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024

So when he sees an unleashed dog running roughshod through the Ramble on the day he’s on the hunt for a ground-dwelling mourning warbler, he reminds the owner of the leash law.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

They listened, but beyond the rustle of the leaves there came from the open down outside no sound except the monotonous tremolo of a grasshopper warbler, far off in the grass.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• artist
• crooner
• diva
• musician
• soloist
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• voice