The Hooded Warbler is a rare breeder in the CW Region and uncommon farther to the south. Preferred habitat includes open forests with small bushes or short understory, often near forest edges or openings. BCN Survey data on this species is too sparse to produce a very accurate trend. The success of breeding attempts in the chicago region are also often brought into question because cowbird parasitism and predation have a big effect on populations in smaller, fragmented forests such as are found in our region. Photo: © Eric Secker