Habitat
Prefers edges of mixed woodlands with shrubs and open spaces and often near water. According to Armstrong (2008), in Alaska, inhabits openings and edges of coniferous forests. The majority of nests in B. C. have been reported from suburban gardens and rural areas with low trees, abundant shrubs, near water, and a good supply of insects, berries, and soft fruit. Also use orchards, riparian thickets, forests along rivers, edges of lakes and beaver ponds, tamarack muskegs, edges of second-growth spruce, and regenerating burned areas with willow, huckleberry and blackberry (Campbell et al. 1997). In B. C., breeds from sea level to 1,530 m.
References
Armstrong, R. H. 2008. Guide to the birds of Alaska. 5th edition. Alaska Northwest Books, Anchorage, AK. 360 pp.
Campbell, R. W., N. K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J. M. Cooper, G. W. Kaiser, M. C. E. McNall, and G. E. J. Smith. 1997. The Birds of British Columbia. Volume 3. Passerines; flycatchers through vireos. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver. 693 pages.
