The Black-and-white Warbler (*Mniotilta varia*) is a distinctive and elegantly patterned wood-warbler found across much of North America, breeding in deciduous and mixed forests from the eastern United States northward through Canada, and wintering in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. As its name plainly suggests, it is boldly streaked in crisp black and white from head to tail, with the male sporting a striking black cheek patch and throat, while the female is somewhat paler and more softly marked with a whitish face and buffy flanks. What truly sets this warbler apart from its relatives, however, is its remarkable foraging behavior — rather than flitting through foliage in search of insects like most warblers, it creeps methodically up, down, and around the trunks and large branches of trees much like a nuthatch or Brown Creeper, using its long, slightly curved bill to probe the bark for hidden insects, spiders, and their eggs and larvae. This unique niche has earned it the informal nickname "the Black-and-white Creeper." It is one of the earliest warblers to arrive on its breeding grounds in spring, often appearing before the leaves have fully emerged on the trees. Its song is a thin, high-pitched, repetitive weesy-weesy-weesy that some describe as sounding like a squeaky wheel. Adaptable, widely distributed, and instantly recognizable, the Black-and-white Warbler is a perennial favorite among birdwatchers across the eastern half of the continent.
