Bird of the Month: Yellow Warbler

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This month, lead shorebird monitor for the Erie Bird Observatory Mary Birdsong tells us all about the Yellow Warbler, a charming, migratory beauty with a sweet little call.

If you want to see a Yellow Warbler, just go to Presque Isle State Park sometime this month. They can be found just about anywhere in the park. Their abundance is so great that I have heard many out-of-town birders exclaim, "PI has to be the Yellow Warbler capital of the world."

But their regular presence doesn't mean they're uninteresting. In fact, they are predominantly a brilliant yellow, and if you've never seen one, you may gasp upon seeing one for the first time. I know I did. When people talk about warblers being little gems of the forest, these birds lead the way.

A mere 5 inches in length, Yellow Warblers are denizens of the understory of the forest. Flitting about through shrubs and small trees, they glean insects from the branches and leaves. In general, their preference is for their habitat to be a little wet with dense shrubbery. According to the PA Game Commission, up to two-thirds of their diet can be caterpillars.

There are a few differences between males and females of this species (called sexual dimorphism). Females have olive green upperparts  (the back side of the bird, from neck to tail) and yellow underparts (the belly side of the bird). Males are similar but their yellow is brighter and they sport chestnut-colored streaks on their breasts.

And it's the males who do the singing in this species, when they are perched on shrubs and trees, when approaching nests to feed nestlings, and periodically in flight. Their song is a multipart series of crisp notes that flow together into a sweet whole that is oftentimes characterized as sounding like "sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet."

Since they stay and nest in our region all summer, and their preferred shrubby-edge habitat is fairly common, these beautiful birds are easily found. I used to see them on the bluffs by the Bayfront Parkway before they were cleared, but any patch of shrubs may be suitable. I plant my backyard with many native shrubs and one of my most desired outcomes is to have a pair nest there one year.

Keep your ears open for its sweet call, and you may just find one of these lovely jewels nearby.

Mary Birdsong is the lead shorebird monitor for Erie Bird Observatory. Learn more at eriebirdobservatory.org or on their social media channels. She can be reached at mbirdsong@eriereader.com