Yellow-rumped warbler
Dendroica coronata
Family Parulidae

A furtive yet melodious songbird, the yellow-rumped warbler can sometimes be seen flitting through thick growth in search of insects or singing boldly from an exposed perch.

Identifying Traits (male):

• When breeding, steely gray above, streaked with black; in winter, dull brown above with faint black streaks
• When breeding, underparts stark white with thick, downcurved black band across chest; in winter, underparts off-white with faint black streaks
• When breeding, has prominent black face mask that extends back to cheeks
• Bright yellow patches on cap, rump, and sides of chest
• Pale throat prominent below dark face
• Size: 13-15 cm (5-6”)
• Weight: 13 g (0.6 oz)

Identifying Traits (female):

• Brown above with black streaks
• White below with more black streaks
• Bright yellow patches on cap, rump, and sides of chest
• Pale throat prominent below dark face

Voice: The yellow-rumped warbler’s song is a loose, rapid whistling series.  Its call is a sharp, high-pitched check!

Habitat: The yellow-rumped warbler seems to prefer coniferous forests, but it will often be seen in thickets and scrubs of all types when migrating.

Range: Yellow-rumped warblers breed north of the Mason-Dixon well into Canada, but they migrate every winter to the southern U.S. and as far as South America.

Interesting Facts: Of all the warblers, only the yellow-rumped warbler seems able to digest the waxy fruits of bayberries and wax myrtles.  Because of this low-competition food source, yellow-rumped warblers can winter farther north than almost any other warbler species.