There are two subspecies of Yellow-rumped worbler Myrtle and Audubon’s, both of which are found in Washington. Myrtle is here during migration and winter only, and the Audubon’s breed here and is present all year round. Audubon’s Yellow-rumped warbler are fairly large, full body with a large head, narrow tail and sturdy bill. blue-grey streaked, White eye rings, and a yellow crown. They have yellow rumps and yellow spots on the side of there breasts. Audubon’s Yellow-rumped  warblers also have yellow throats.

Approximate combined distribution map of the Myrtle Warbler Audubon’s Warbler. Yellow indicates the summer-only range, blue indicates the winter-only range, and green indicates the year-round range of the species.

  Yellow-rumped warbler use many types of habitats, in the summer they are found in coniferous forest and edges. In fall and winter they move into open woods and shrubby habitats. During migration, they can be found in a variety of habitats, although they can be found at higher elevations in the fall than in the spring.   

Insects are the main diet of Yellow-rumped Warblers during the breeding season, although they rely heavily on berries when insects are not available. Their ability to digest the wax on wax myrtle and other berries is unique among the warblers and allows them to winter farther north than most other members of the family.

Sound recording of a Yellow-rumped warbler, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

Yellow-rumped Warblers typically forage in the outer tree canopies at middle heights.In winter and migration, Yellow-rumped Warblers are found foraging in flocks of their own species. During the breeding season, males generally forage higher than females. In winter they spend lots of time eating berries from shrubs, and they often travel in large flocks.

Borgmann, K. L., Pearson, S. F., Levey, D. J., & Greenberg, C. H. (2015). Wintering Yellow-rumped Warblers (Dendroica coronata) track manipulated abundance of Myrica cerifera fruits.

Brelsford, A., & Irwin, D. E. (2009). Incipient speciation despite little assortative mating: the yellow‐rumped warbler hybrid zone. Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution, 63(12), 3050-3060.

Hunt, P. D. and D. J. Flaspohler (1998). Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.376

Hutto, R. L. (1985). Habitat selection by nonbreeding, migratory land. Habitat selection in birds, 455.

Milá, B., Wayne, R. K., & Smith, T. B. (2008). Ecomorphology of migratory and sedentary populations of the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata). The Condor, 110(2), 335-344.

Moore, F. R., & Simm, P. A. (1985). Migratory disposition and choice of diet by the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata). The Auk, 102(4), 820-826.Seewagen, C. L., Ma, Y., Morbey, Y. E., & Guglielmo, C. G. (2019). Stopover departure behavior and flight orientation of spring-migrant Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) experimentally exposed to methylmercury. Journal of Ornithology, 1-8.

Toews, D. P., Mandic, M., Richards, J. G., & Irwin, D. E. (2014). Migration, mitochondria, and the yellow‐rumped warbler. Evolution, 68(1), 241-255.

Yellow-rumped Warbler. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-rumped-warbler