The Yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) is a small North American bird species that is often seen all across the continent. The species combines four closely related forms: the eastern myrtle warbler (spp. coronata ); its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler (spp. group auduboni ); the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler (spp. nigrifrons ); and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler (spp. goldmani ).
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
In
InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Ar
ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
Al
AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Mo
MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
So
SocialFl
FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
Pa
Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
Y
starts withThe appearance of the Yellow-rumped warbler is different across its subspecies groups, especially the two major ones: the coronata group (myrtle warbler) and the auduboni group (Audubon's warbler). In spite of varying appearances, the yellow rump (as suggested by its name) is present in all subspecies. Within the myrtle warbler group, adult males during the breeding season have gray backs with dark streaks, while females have brown backs in contrast; male and female myrtle warblers can also be distinguished by their different cheek colors, with the former's being black and the latter having brown or gray cheeks. The Audubon's subspecies group is not very dissimilar to the myrtle: in summers, males of both forms have streaked backs of black on slate blue, white wing patches, a streaked breast, and conspicuous yellow patches on the crown, flank, and rump (the latter giving rise to the species's nickname "butter butt" among birdwatchers). Yet the color of the coronata and auduboni groups' throat patches differs and distinguishes them, as the Audubon's warbler sports a yellow throat patch while the Myrtle warbler has a white throat and eye stripe, and a contrasting black cheek patch. Females of both forms are more dull, with brown streaking front and back, but still have noticeable yellow rumps. Goldman's warbler, found in Guatemala, resembles Audubon's but has a white lower border to the yellow throat and otherwise darker plumage; males replace the slate blue of Audubon's with black.
Yellow-rumped warblers breed from eastern North America west to the Pacific, and southward from there into Western Mexico. "Goldman's" yellow-rumped warblers don't migrate and remain year-round within the highlands of Guatemala; Black-fronted warblers are also non-migratory and remain all year in Mexico. The myrtle and Audubon's forms migrate to the southern U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean for winter. During the breeding season, Yellow-rumped warblers prefer to live in coniferous areas across the North American continent or mixed coniferous-deciduous habitats. In the western U.S. they are usually found in mountainous areas. During the winter, Yellow-rumped warblers often inhabit open areas with shrubs or scattered trees, that can provide them with some source of food supply. They are typically found in agricultural and residential areas, secondary forests, and shrublands. They can also inhabit mangroves, pine forests, and even coffee plantations.
Yellow-rumped warblers are social birds and usually spend their days in flocks especially when foraging. During winter and migration, they can gather in very large flocks of their own species. They search for food by gleaning from leaves or flit, flycatcher-like, out from their perches in short loops, to catch flying insects. Yellow-rumped warblers may also pick insects on washed-up seaweed at the beach, skimming insects from the surface of rivers and the ocean, pick them out of spiderwebs, and grab them off piles of manure. Males typically forage higher in the trees than females do. While foraging with other warbler species, they sometimes aggressively chase other species away. Yellow-rumped warblers have a trill-like song of 4-7 syllables 'tyew-tyew-tyew-tyew, tew-tew-tew'. They call is loud 'check' or 'chip'.
Yellow-rumped warblers are carnivores, primarily insectivores. Their diet includes caterpillars and other larvae, leaf beetles, bark beetles, weevils, ants, scale insects, aphids, grasshoppers, caddisflies, craneflies, and gnats, as well as spiders. They also eat spruce budworm, a serious forest pest, during outbreaks. Yellow-rumped warblers also supplement their diet with fruit, wild seeds, and they may come to feeders, where they'll take sunflower seeds, raisins, peanut butter, and suet. On their wintering grounds in Mexico, they've been seen sipping the sweet honeydew liquid excreted by aphids.
Yellow-rumped warblers are monogamous and for pairs. Females build the nest, sometimes using the material the male carries to her. The nest is a cup of twigs, pine needles, grasses, and rootlets. She may also use moose, horse, and deer hair, moss, and lichens. She lines this cup with fine hair and feathers, sometimes woven into the nest in such a way that they curl up and over the eggs. The nest takes about 10 days to build. Nests are located on the horizontal branch of a conifer, anywhere from 1.2 to 15 m (3.9 to 49.2 ft) high. Yellow-rumped warblers may build their nests far out on a main branch or tuck it close to the trunk in a secure fork of two or more branches. The female then lays 4-5 eggs and incubates them for 12 to 13 days. Nestlings are helpless and naked at hatching but grow quickly. They fledge and start to fly in 10-14 days. At this time the female often lays the second clutch, while the male continues to feed the first brood for up to 2 weeks.
Yellow-rumped warblers don't face any major threats at present.
According to the All About Birds resource, the total breeding population of the Yellow-rumped warbler is 170 million individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...