Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Parulidae
The little all-yellow warbler of willow thickets and shrubby wet edges. Males add rusty streaks to the breast and are among the brightest yellow birds anywhere. One of the most widespread breeding warblers in North America, and one of the first summer birds to leave — many depart NJ in August.
Arrives in May; departs early — most Yellow Warblers are gone from NJ by mid-August.
How to spot one.
5 inches, sleek warbler shape
Male: brilliant lemon-yellow overall with rusty chestnut streaks on breast
Female: softer greenish-yellow, less streaked
Dark eye stands out against pale yellow face
Yellow spots on tail visible in flight (unlike most warblers with white tail spots)
What it sounds like.
Sweet, upbeat 'sweet-sweet-sweet-I'm-so-sweet' — clear whistled phrases, higher and cleaner than most warblers.
How it lives.
Nests in willow, dogwood, and other soft-wood shrubs near water. Often builds atop the destroyed nest of a Brown-headed Cowbird parasite — literally covering the cowbird egg with a new nest floor and re-laying. Migrates early, sometimes leaving NJ in late July.
The spec sheet.
- Status
- Summer breeder
- Size
- 4.7–5.1 inches
- Present in NJ
- May – August
- Native to NJ
- Yes
- Conservation status
- stable
- Family
- Parulidae
What it eats.
Diet often shifts dramatically between breeding season and the rest of the year — especially for insectivorous birds that pivot to native berries in fall and winter.
Summer / breeding season
Almost entirely insects — caterpillars, midges, aphids, beetles
Leafhoppers, small wasps
Small spiders
Occasional berries very late in season
Fall / winter
Migrates to Central America, northern South America
Overwintering: insects and some fruit
What it needs.
Native plants that feed this bird or provide shelter. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.
Willows (Salix)
Cover / habitat
Native dogwoods
Cover / habitat
Wet meadow shrub edges
Cover / habitat
Alders, elderberry thickets
Cover / habitat
Audubon Field Guide · All About Birds (Cornell)
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