Description

All plumages show yellow in the rump, flanks and crown patch, but may be pale in hatching year birds. Streaking is seen in the breast, often quite dark in spring adults. Fall birds are browner but retain some of the yellow in the rump and flanks.The Myrtle subspecies has a black or dark mask with a white eyeline and throat. All plumages have the eyeline but may be buffier in fall birds. Audubon's subspecies has a yellow throat and a plain face, grey in spring males, brown in other plumages, with a pronounced, broken eyering."Hybrids" or intergrades can often be identified by the mixture of yellow and white feathers in the throat.

Generally found in conifers and mixed forest provided there are mature trees for nesting.

A two syllabled, repeated phrase: "tu-wee tu-wee tu-wee" sometimes followed by a tril.

Similar to Magnolia Warblers but the yellow in the underparts is more extensive.

The Yellow-rumped is generalized in its foraging strategies. It is known to glean insects from the trunks and leaves of trees but it also can be seen "flycatching", or catching insects in the air while flying.

There are two visually distinct subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler: the Myrtle (D. coronata coronata) and Audubon's (D. coronata auduboni). The subspecies were once thought to be separate species but extensive interbreeding is seen in areas where they overlap producing "hybrid" Yellow-rumps.

>>go to study skins page (Myrtle)
>>go to study skins page (Audubon's)