Yellow Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Some authorities prefer to call this species “American Yellow Warbler”. Our Yellow Warbler and its various subspecies breed in most of North America from the tundra south to Mexico and the Caribbean. There seems to be no breeding going on for this species in the southeastern USA and the eastern southwestern states. When the breeding cycle is over, these birds fly south, staying in southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America.

Yellow Warblers love riparian habitats, and moist areas with plenty of small trees. They build their nest in a vertical fork, anywhere from 10 to 40 feet from the ground. Brown-Headed Cowbirds often parasitize the nest of the Yellow Warbler, but their defensive response is to build a new nest on top of the old one and lay fresh eggs. It might require several layers in a season if the cowbird persists in laying eggs in the warbler’s nest.

With 37 subspecies recognized, there are too many to describe in detail here. I can pass along that there are four groups of subspecies, with some overlap in their ranges:

Aestiva Group (or the Yellow Warbler group) has six members.
- Includes S. p. aestiva, S. p. sonorana, S. p. dugesi, S. p. rubiginosa, S. p. amnicola, and S. p. sonorana.
- The birds we find in North America are from this group.
Erithachorides Group (or the Mangrove Warbler group) has eleven members.
- Includes S. p. erithachorides, S. p. chrysendeta, S. p. paraguanae, S. p. cienagae, S. p. castaneiceps, S. p. rhizophorae, S. p. xanthotera, S. p. aequatorialis, S. p. peruviana, and S. p. aureola.
- Members of this group are found from southern Mexico to northern South America.
Aureola Group (or Galapagos Yellow Warbler group) has one member.
- S. p. aureola
Petechia Group (or the Golden Warbler group) has sixteen members.
- Includes S. p. rufivertex, S. p. armouri, S. p. flavida, S. p. eoa, S. p. gundlachi, S. p. albicollis, S. p. cruciana, S. p. bartholemica, S. p. melanoptera, S. p. ruficapilla, S. p. babad, S. p. petechia, S. p. alsiosa, S. p. rufopileata, S. p. obscura, and S. p. aurifrons.
- Members of this group live on islands in the Caribbean.

I’ve met Yellow Warblers throughout many of the western states in the USA and Canada. These birds make lovely subjects to photograph, but in places where there is a high canopy, they can be elusive and difficult to capture. Persistence can pay off. I think they are some of the brightest shining stars in the galaxy of warblers.

116 Photos

American Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia — **American Yellow Warbler**
*(Setophaga petechia)*

**Description:**
Along Link River Trail, where the Klamath River feeds into Lake Ewauna at Veteran's Park in Klamath Falls Oregon.
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**Date Taken:** 2015:06:05 12:43

**Location:**

Veteran's Park
Klamath Falls, Oregon
United States
4078.28 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500

**File Name:** D3X9106-YellowWarbler-Female

© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com

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Pin It — **American Yellow Warbler**
*(Setophaga petechia)*

**Description:**
Along Link River Trail, where the Klamath River feeds into Lake Ewauna at Veteran's Park in Klamath Falls Oregon.
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**Date Taken:** 2015:06:05 12:43

**Location:**

Veteran's Park
Klamath Falls, Oregon
United States
4078.28 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500

**File Name:** D3X9106-YellowWarbler-Female

© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com

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Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia — **Yellow Warbler**
*(Setophaga petechia)*

**Description:**
Arivaca in rural south-central Arizona.
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**Date Taken:** 2017:05:03 15:42

**Location:**

La Siesta Campgrounds
Arivaca, Arizona
United States
3694.41 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000

**File Name:** YellowWarbler_D5X9737

© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com

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Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia — **Yellow Warbler**
*(Setophaga petechia)*

**Description:**
Arivaca in rural south-central Arizona.
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**Date Taken:** 2017:05:03 15:46

**Location:**

La Siesta Campgrounds
Arivaca, Arizona
United States
3691.13 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000

**File Name:** YellowWarbler_D5X9783

© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com

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Mangrove Warbler - Setophaga petechia oraria — **Mangrove Warbler**
*(Setophaga petechia oraria)*

**Description:**
Mangrove Warblers are actually a subspecies of the Yellow Warbler collective. Spend a day at the SPI Bird and Nature Center (BNC) and there will surely be some interesting birds for your entertainment.
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**Date Taken:** 2022:09:03 9:31

**Location:**

South Padre Island Nature Center
South Padre Island, Texas
United States
9.84 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000

**File Name:** MangroveWarbler_8507766-SPI-BirdNatureCenter

© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com

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