Bird guide · Setophaga coronata
Yellow-rumped Warbler
What the yellow-rumped warbler eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Migrant
- Size
- 5.5 in (14 cm)
- Eats
- suet, fruit
- Feeds
- suet cage, tray/platform
- Most common
- Nevada, California, South Carolina
Food
What do yellow-rumped warblers eat?
At feeders, yellow-rumped warblers take suet, fruit.
In winter usually forages in flocks.
Feeder that suits it
A suet cage on a tree trunk or pole; peanuts and sunflower hearts work too.
Range
Where do yellow-rumped warblers live?
The main winter warbler in North America, staying as far north as New England and Seattle. By share of all bird sightings, yellow-rumped warblers are most common in Nevada (1.8%).
States where yellow-rumped warblers are most common
- Nevada1.8%
- California1.7%
- South Carolina1.5%
- Arizona1.4%
- Louisiana1.4%
- Wyoming1.4%
- Alaska1.3%
- Georgia1.3%
- Mississippi1.3%
- Alabama1.3%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are yellow-rumped warblers, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the yellow-rumped warbler migrate?
Migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in October.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are yellow-rumped warblers, by month.
Identification
How to identify the yellow-rumped warbler
Adults: Bright yellow rump, yellow patches at the sides of the chest and white tail spots.
Size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
On camera
Getting the yellow-rumped warbler on a feeder camera
Pick a camera feeder that takes a suet cage, or mount a separate camera next to a suet feeder on the trunk – woodpeckers cling to the bark while they feed.
Questions
Yellow-rumped Warbler: questions
What do yellow-rumped warblers eat?
At feeders, suet, fruit.
Do yellow-rumped warblers migrate?
Migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in October.
Where do yellow-rumped warblers live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Nevada, California, South Carolina, Arizona, Louisiana. They are rare or absent in Hawaii.
What does a female yellow-rumped warbler look like?
Similar pattern, duller.