Yellow Throated Warbler

And finally the last of the Arizona Warbler photos along with information, 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 Throated Warbler

Common Name: Yellow Throated Warbler

Scientific Name: Setophaga dominica

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Conservation Status: Least Concern, stable population with estimates of 1.8 million

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Size: 5.5 inches

Description: gray head and back; strong white supercilium; white undereye arc; black cheek and lores; long black bill; bright yellow chin, throat, and breast; white belly; white neck stripe; two white wing bars; black stripes on flanks; long black tail with white underparts

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Male/Female: basically identical

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Range: Missouri to Pennsylvania south to the Gulf Coast of Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean Islands

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Migration: summers in the United States and winters along the Gulf Coasts (including Florida); migrates mostly at night; though, more resident than most other warblers

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Season for Arizona: accidental any time of the year with a total of 15 records

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Habitat: pine forests, sycamore, swamp, riparian woodland; during migration adjusts to scrub brush and thickets if pine woodland not available

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Community Behavior: not well documented

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Feeding Behavior: forages by creeping along tree branches probing into cracks, crevices, pine needles, and moss with its long bill; occasionally sallies out to catch flying insects; in winter often forages in palm groves

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Diet: insects and spiders, including beetles, moths, caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, and ants

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Nesting Behavior: often nests in Spanish moss, lined with grasses, weeds, feathers, and moss; if Spanish moss is not available nest is placed on high branch of pine, sycamore or cypress usually 30-60 feet off the ground; 3-5 pale greenish eggs with dark spots; incubation period is 12/13 days; both parents feed nestlings; nestling period unknown

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Where to Find in Southern Arizona: check ABA Birding News and Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert; last seen in Patagonia in 2014, 2015

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Comments: first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1766

Warblers of Southern Arizona: Yellow Throated Warbler

Continuing my series on Warblers of Southern Arizona, in alphabetical order, next up and last:

Yellow Throated Warbler

Distinctive Identification Marks: large high-contrast warbler with elongated profile; gray back; bright yellow chin, throat, and breast; strongly contrasting black cheek patch, lores, white under eye arc; heavy white supercilium; white wing bars separate black patch; white neck stripe; bright white underparts; long white tail;

Frequency: Casual in Arizona (15 records in Arizona)

Season: Winter

Range: Eastern United States

Habitat:

Tree Tops

Mid Tree

Nests:

Breeds in pine forest, sycamore, and riparian woodlands;

Placed high in trees;

Open nests of bark, grasses, and weed stems; lined with hair and feathers;

Feeding Behavior:

Gleaning: perched bird takes prey from branch

Eats insects and spiders

General Behavior:

Creeping

Skulking

Where to Find: last two years in Patagonia Town Center;

Chance of Finding: 25% when/where reported; otherwise not likely

in mesquite tree

in walnut tree

perched

Patagonia in search of the Yellow Throated Warbler

You keep an eye on ABA's birding news for a post of a rare bird. Then you head out to find that bird. Trouble is that the basic anatomical structure of birds includes "wings." The bird could be gone from that spot before the post was even made. Occasionally a rare bird remains in a given "area" for weeks at a time. And maybe that bird returns to that same area the following year.

Such is the case with the Yellow Throated Warbler that had been seen last year in various spots in the town of Patagonia in southeast Arizona. I made several attempts last year without luck finding this beautiful little bird. So when it was reported to have returned this year I was determined to find it. And on my first try this year it took all of 20 minutes. 

As the saying goes, "right time and right place."

Yellow Throated Warbler

Yellow Throated Warbler