The Red-faced Warbler is one of Arizona’s most spectacular mountain songbirds. Found in mixed conifer and pine-oak forests above 6,000 feet, this striking species has a vivid scarlet face bordered by a black cap and gray back. Its cheerful song, a series of sweet rising notes, carries through shaded canyons where mountain streams flow. Red-faced Warblers forage along branches and trunks, often hanging upside down to pick insects from the bark. They nest on the ground, usually tucked beneath ferns or fallen logs, a behavior that makes them vulnerable to disturbance but perfectly adapted to the cool, moist forest floor. The species is a signature bird of the White Mountains, Chiricahuas, and Santa Ritas during summer.
