Setophaga coronata
The Yellow-rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata, is one of North America's most abundant and widespread warblers, easily recognized by its bright yellow rump patch, earning it the affectionate nickname "Butterbutt." This medium-sized warbler typically measures 12-14 cm (4.7-5.5 inches) in length, with a wingspan of 19-24 cm (7.5-9.4 inches) and a weight of 9-13 grams. In breeding plumage, males exhibit striking patterns: the eastern 'Myrtle' subspecies sports a white throat, bold white wing bar...
Yellow-rumped Warblers thrive in diverse coniferous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, open woodlands, and forest edges, ranging from sea level up to subalpine elevations. During winter, they can be found in more open and shrubby habitats, including coastal thickets, parks, and suburban gard...
Primarily insectivorous during the breeding season, consuming a wide variety of spiders, caterpillars, beetles, and flies. Uniquely, they consume large quantities of waxy fruits, especially from wax myrtle and bayberry, and also sap, during colder months, which expands their wintering range.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are highly active, diurnal foragers, employing a versatile array of techniques to secure food. They are adept at gleaning insects from foliage, often hovering or even catching prey in mid-air through hawking, and can also be seen actively flitting through branches. Males es...
The Yellow-rumped Warbler boasts an expansive breeding range across North America, extending from the vast boreal forests of Alaska and Canada southward through the western mountains of the United States, including the Rockies and Pacific Coast ranges, and eastward through the Appalachian Mountai...
Least Concern
- The Yellow-rumped Warbler is often affectionately nicknamed the "Butterbutt" by birders due to its prominent yellow rump patch. - It was once considered two separate species - the Myrtle Warbler (eastern) and Audubon's Warbler (western) - until they were reclassified as a single species in 1973...