Yellow Warblers are fast-moving little birds. With vibrant plumage that sharply contrasts with their dark black eyes, these birds are easily recognizable. Spot them in shrubbery adjacent to water sources. During the breeding season, you can find Yellow Warblers across most of Canada and the northern United States. But come winter, these long-distance migrants disappear to Central America and northern South America.

Yellow Warblers have solid yellow bodies. Males may have reddish brown streaks on their breast. Their eyes are solid black with no eye ring. Their wings are a darker gray color with yellow highlights.

Yellow Warblers are perhaps one of the most vibrantly colored birds we catch at Creamer’s Field Migration Station. One of the later-arriving migrants, we typically do not start catching them until late May towards the end of our spring banding season. Likewise, they are one of the earlier-migrating songbirds in the fall, peaking in numbers at the start of our season in August. Historically we have captured about 3,000 Yellow Warblers at CFMS.