Yellow Warbler
May is warbler migration season, and though many of those colorful neotropical birds continue on to the north, some stop to set up house here in central Ohio. There are a couple species that are very common, nesting here through the summer. One of those species has taken a real liking to Prairie Oaks Metro Park.
Prairie Oaks has various different habitats, and one of the more common habitat is thickets, bushes and small trees that can be seen along the trails. This is very attractive to certain birds, and this species is one of them:
This is a Yellow Warbler, one of the two most abundant warbler species that nests in central Ohio (what’s the other one? That’s for a future post!) As you can see, this bird is aptly-named, being mostly yellow. Males have chestnut-colored streaks on their breasts, like the fellow in the above photo. They have a couple of short songs that they sing, including the classic sweet sweet sweeter-than-sweet!
I’ve always liked this species- it’s the most easily-seen warbler in the summer in central Ohio. All-yellow birds are quite noticeable and very handsome and, except when they’re nesting, they aren’t hard to spot. Their song is easy to remember.
Yellow Warbler Portrait – ebirdr channel
Back to Prairie Oaks for a moment. Brushy areas around water is a favorite habitat for this species, and there is plenty of that around the Darby Bend Lakes area of the park. Last week I counted at least 10 Yellow Warblers flying about excitedly. These guys and gals had found a great place to nest and raise their young, and there was lots of jockeying for nesting areas. Male chased male, females kept an appraising eye out upon all of the commotion, and, to my astonishment, these birds squawked a bit at me as I walked by bushes they were in. They were very worked up!
A male sings, guarding his territory
A female watches competitive males swarm about
This male scolds me for daring to walk by his area!
A little more about these birds…they winter over in Central and northern South America, nesting from the middle United States clear up to Alaska and northern Canada. This is an enormous range, and there are plenty of them to fill it. They are insect-eaters, and are (unfortunately) a common target for parasitic Brown Headed Cowbirds that lay eggs in their nests. Up to 40% of Yellow Warbler nests have been or have been attempted to be parasitized. Sometimes Yellow Warblers layer over Cowbird eggs and start again; nests have been found with up to 6 layers of sealed-off Cowbird eggs in them. They even have a special call that warns that Cowbirds are near.
This bird flutters among a Cottonwood Tree’s leaves, gleaning insects
There must be plenty of insects in trees!
Warblers must have sharp eyesight to find small insects
Like some other migrating songbirds, a good many of the Yellow Warblers seen in Ohio probably flew non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico as they migrated up into the United States. That’s a long flight with nowhere to rest, save for a passing ship or oil rig. Imagine a bird weighing less than an ounce flying all night over hundreds of miles of sea.
Another female watches the males battle for territory from a Sycamore Tree
This male stands ready to defend his mate and his turf
Often Yellow Warblers will be concealed in heavy foliage as they sing
Typically 4-5 eggs are laid in a nest, and a month after they hatch, young Yellow Warblers are independent of their parents. These birds usually nest only once a year.
The next time you see an all-yellow bird, perhaps it will be a Yellow Warbler. Keep an eye and an ear out- once you hear their sweet sweet sweeter-than-sweet song you’ll not soon forget it!
Awesome, you know how much I love these little birds! Thanks for sharing..
Thanks, Joleen- they look gorgeous at birdbaths, don’t they? 🙂
Oh yes! They are starting to let up here a bit and will probably head further north, but I’m still enjoying them immensely!
Great post and photos about one of my favorite species of warblers!
Thanks- one of my favorites too!
For me the Prothonotary may edge the Yellow out, but it’s not be much. Enjoyed you’re post!
Thanks Robert! The Prothonotaries sure are beautiful!
Beautiful!!!
Thanks!
You got some very nice photos of them. I think I’ve seen them just up the road from my house, but they are very shy and I haven’t even gotten a real good look at one, much less a chance for a photo.
Glad to hear you get to see them (sort of), Montucky- when they’re actually nesting they can be hard to see!
Gladdening pics and video! Thanks!!! 🙂
Thank you Kolytyi!
Great shots and video. Beautiful little birds.
Thanks Pat- the video isn’t mine though!
Hi. I love the sweet,sweet,sweeter then sweet mnemonic! I am no good at identifying warblers so I’ll try to learn something here! Jane
Jane, that’s probably my favorite bird mnemonic- along with the ‘pure sweet Canada-Canada-Canada’ of the White-Throated Sparrow 🙂
Well I have definitely heard that call, but the visual escapes me. Taking a birding class is now officially on my bucket list!
Excellent idea, Inger- you’ll find that knowing bird calls is a huge help to identifying birds in the area whether you see them or not!
What a delightful little bird, and it was lovely to hear its song. And what an incredible distance it migrates. When you consider how tiny and light they are, with no body mass to speak of, it’s simply amazing. Lovely post! 🙂
Many thanks, Jo! The distances these bird travel are truly amazing!