Northern Parula Warbler

Northern Parula Warbler (Birds of North Carolina: their Distribution and Abundance)
Norther Parula Warblers nest in all parts of North Carolina. In the state it favors swamps and bottomlands, especially where Spanish Moss or Usnea lichen (old man’s-beard) are common. Away from such habitats, it occurs in other moist forests and woodlands, such as cove forests; occasionally it does nest in drier forests, as long as one of these plants is present. Most Northern Parulas winter south of the United States, though there are a handful of state records of early winter stragglers.

Northern Parula Warbler (allaboutbirds.org)
A small warbler of the upper canopy, the Northern Parula flutters at the edges of branches plucking insects. This bluish gray warbler with yellow highlights breeds in forests laden with Spanish moss or beard lichens, from Florida to the boreal forest, and it’s sure to give you “warbler neck.” It hops through branches bursting with a rising buzzy trill that pinches off at the end. Its white eye crescents, chestnut breast band, and yellow-green patch on the back set it apart from other warblers.

Northern Parula (Audubon Field Guide to North American Birds)
This small warbler is often hard to see as it forages in dense foliage of the treetops. However, it is easy to hear; the male seems to repeat his buzzy trickle-up song constantly from early spring through mid-summer at least. Northern Parulas hide their nests inside hanging Spanish moss in the South, or in the similar Usnea lichens in the North, where they are impossible to spot except by the actions of the parent birds.

How to Identify a Northern Parula (Birds and Blooms magazine)
Learn how to attract and identify a northern parula, a blue and yellow bird in the warbler family. Find out what they eat and where to find them.

Northern Parula song (Youtube video)