Yellow Warbler

A Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) is a small, bright songbird known for its striking yellow plumage and sweet, musical song. It is one of the most widespread warbler species, found across nearly all of North America.

The Yellow Warbler is, as its name suggests, almost entirely yellow. Males are a brilliant lemon yellow with distinctive reddish or chestnut streaks on their breast. Females and immature birds are a slightly duller yellow-green color but still maintain the overall yellow appearance. They have a thin, pointed bill for catching insects.

Yellow Warblers are highly adaptable and are commonly found in a variety of open habitats, including woodlands, thickets, fields, and gardens, often preferring areas near streams or wetlands.

Their diet consists primarily of insects and spiders, which they glean from foliage. They are known to quickly hop from branch to branch to catch their prey. In the fall and winter, they may also supplement their diet with berries.

Yellow Warblers are migratory birds that breed across most of North America and then travel south for the winter to Central and South America. They are well-known for their unique defense against brood parasites, particularly the Brown-headed Cowbird. If a cowbird lays an egg in a Yellow Warbler's nest, the warbler will often build a new nest directly on top of the old one, sometimes creating a multi-layered structure to protect their own eggs.