Warblers

Yellow-rumped warbler

NPS Photo

 

Warblers are a group of various Passeriformes (perching birds) that share some general characteristics such as being fairly small and vocal. New World Warblers or "wood-warblers" are a group of small, often colorful, birds that make up the family Parulidae. According to the American Birding Association, there are 52 species of warbler that visit North America regularly.

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
Weight: 0.4-0.5 oz (12-13 g)
Wingspan: 7.5-9.1 in (19-23 cm)

Habitat

They spend the breeding season in mature coniferous and mixed coniferous-deciduous woodlands (such as in patches of aspen, birch, or willow). During winter, Yellow-rumped Warblers find open areas with fruiting shrubs or scattered trees such as open pine forests.

Diet

Yellow-rumped Warblers eat mainly insects in the summer, including caterpillars and other larvae, leaf beetles, ants, aphids, grasshoppers, and gnats, as well as spiders. On migration and in winter they eat great numbers of fruits which their digestive systems are uniquely suited among warblers to digest.

Identification

A large, full-bodied Warbler with a large head, sturdy bill, and long, narrow tail. In summer, both sexes are gray with white in the wings and yellow on the face, sides, and rump. Females are duller and may show some brown. Winter birds are paler brown, with bright yellow rump and usually some yellow on the sides.

Behavior

Yellow-rumped Warblers flit through the canopies of coniferous trees as they forage. They cling to the bark surface to look for hidden insects more than other warblers do, but they also frequently sit on branches and catch passing insects like a flycatcher does. In winter, Yellow-rumped Warblers join flocks and switch to eating berries from fruiting shrubs.

Conservation

Common and widespread with steady populations.

When and Where to See at Bryce

Seen around Bryce in Ponderosa Pine forests.

Further Reading

Yellow-rumped Warbler | Audubon Field Guide

Yellow-rumped Warbler Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

 

Grace's Warbler (Setophaga graciae)

Length: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.3 oz (7-9 g)
Wingspan: 7.9 in (20 cm)

Habitat

Grace’s Warblers nest and winter mostly in mature pine and pine-oak forests in mountainous regions. They favor ponderosa and pinyon pine forests.

Diet

Grace’s Warblers eat insects like beetles and flies, which they catch while foraging in the upper third of mature pine trees, well away from the trunk, along smaller branches, twigs, and in pine-needle clusters. They occasionally catch flying insects on the wing or feed on the ground.

Identification

A small songbird with a small, fine bill and a medium-length tail. Adult males are ashy gray above with a yellow face and throat. They are mostly white below with black stripes on the flanks and two white wingbars. Adult females are similar but less boldly patterned.

Behavior

Tiny, energetic birds that are hard to spot due to their quick foraging pace and preference for high treetops. Unlike the closely related Yellow-throated Warbler of the eastern U.S., it does not probe into bark crannies or pine cones for insects. Male Grace’s Warblers sing to advertise to females and to mark their rather large territories which will continue for several weeks before building a nest, a rather long period compared to most warblers.

Conservation

As its mature-pine habitat has disappeared over the last half-century due to wildfire suppression and logging, Grace's Warbler numbers have dwindled, and they are now on the Yellow Watch List for species with declining populations.

When and Where to See at Bryce

Considered an uncommon sighting in Bryce, Grace's Warblers can be found in the upper branches of our Ponderosa pine forests.

Further Reading

Grace's Warbler | Audubon Field Guide

Grace's Warbler Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology