Yellow Warbler

Continuing to share my warbler photos along with information about each species, from my latest book: "Warblers of Arizona, A Guide to Finding and Photographing Warblers in Southern Arizona." 

If you are interested in purchasing it, please email me at exclusivelywildlifephotos.com or info@azuregate.com.

Yellow Warbler

Common Name: Yellow Warbler

Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia

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Conservation Status: Least Concern, though population has declined by 25% over the past 50 years; estimates of 90 million

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Size: 5 inches

Description: yellow face with olive tint; small black eye with light eyering; thick black bill; bright yellow chin, throat, and breast; red streaking on breast and flanks; olive wings without wing bars; relatively short yellow tail with yellow undertail and black edges

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Male/Female: females are not quite as bright and may lack the red streaking

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Range: all of North America south to Columbia, Venezuela, and Guyana

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Migration: long distance migrant; summers as far north as Alaska, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, winters in Central America and as far south as Columbia, Venezuela, and Guyana; some migrate directly over the Caribbean others take an overland route over Mexico

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Season for Arizona: March to October with occasional sightings in the winter

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Habitat: thickets or regrowing habitats along streams and wetlands; also in dwarf birch stands in the tundra, among aspens in the Rockies, and along edges of fields in the East; up to 9,000 feet in elevation; winters in mangrove forests, dry scrub, marshes, and lowlands

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Community Behavior: solitary or in flocks of yellow or mixed warblers; will defend territory by flying in a semicircular patern toward an intruder with exaggerated wingbeats

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Feeding Behavior: hops along on slender branches of shrubs and small (young) trees picking insects as they go; sometimes hovering to glean insects off leaves

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Diet: nsects, including midges, caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers, and other bugs and wasps

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Nesting Behavior: female builds nest in four days out of a cup of grasses, bark, and plants lined with feathers and hair; 1 to 7 grayish or greenish white egges with darks spots; incubation period is 10-13 days; nestling period is 9-12 days

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Where to Find in Southern Arizona: San Pedro River, Santa Cruz River, Empire Gulch, Arivaca Cienegas, Mesquite Trees in municipal parks that have ponds or lakes

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Comments: first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1766; one of the most common and abundant of the warblers; Southwest is brighter yellow overall versus Northwest which is yellow-green backed; Mangrove has variable rufous head