Yellow Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Parulidae

Yellow Warbler by Rhododendrites is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. — A burst of yellow that comes to breed at Salter Grove each spring

Jason Major — Male has chestnut streaks on breast

Setophaga aestiva, Parc Plaisance, Québec 04 by Cephus is under CC BY-SA 4.0. — Sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet!

Breeding pair of Yellow Warblers (Setophaga aestiva) in Waterville, Maine by Jshamgochian is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. — Females decide on a mate as quickly as a day after arrival

Yellow Warbler Gathering Nest Material by ksblack99 is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. — Female chooses nest site and builds nest

Yellow Warbler On Nest by stanlupo (Thanks for 4,000,000 views) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. — Male brings nest material and defends nest

Nest usually placed in thicket near stream or other moist habitat

Yellow warbler nest by Mike Budd/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. — Nest within 10 feet of ground; clutch ranges from 1 to 7 eggs

Yellow Warbler nest and eggs by Kristine Sowl/ National Digital Library of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is available through Public Domain. — Nest well insulated in Arctic breeders

Yellow Warbler nest with two eggs and a Brown-headed Cowbird egg at Fair Meadows State Natural Area by Gary Shackelford (June 2004). Photo courtesy of Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance Friday Feathered Feature, permission required for use. — Cowbird egg might be deposited but ...

Yellow Warbler babies in nest by kestrelm is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. — ... most nests hold only Yellow Warbler nestlings

Yellow Warbler feeding nestling by Jerry Goldner; permission required for use. — Both male and female feed nestlings until ...

Mother and baby Yellow Warbler 1 by gfolin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. — ... fledglings leave the next

Yellow Warbler female by Russ Wigh is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 — Juvenile looks much like ...

female Yellow Warbler by tcmurray74 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 — ... adult female Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia by tcmurray74 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 — ... until chestnut streaks appear in maturing male

The Yellow Warbler comes to breed at Salter Grove every year. It can be heard or seen from late April to early August in the northern marshy area, in the woods along the vernal pond, as well as along the southern end of the Marsh Trail.

It is one of the most widely distributed warblers, nesting from the Arctic Circle to Mexico in a variety of moist habitats with thickets of small trees. It is truly a long-distance migrant. Wintering populations are found in southern California, southern Florida, and south through the Brazilian Amazon, to Bolivia, and Peru.

Since the insectivorous Yellow Warbler eats mostly caterpillars and insects, it is not attracted to backyard feeders. Nonetheless, it is an easy bird to recognize as flashes of brilliant yellow as it forages in thickets of small trees near lakes, marshes, swamps or streams. The male's insistent refrain of "sweet-sweet-sweet, I'm-so-sweet" can be heard through late spring and early summer.

Because its nests are often along the edge of woody vegetation, it is a popular target of the Brown-headed Cowbird, a brood parasite that evades parental responsibility by laying eggs in the nest of other bird species. However, unlike other bird species that do not appear to perceive the reproductive threat, the Yellow Warbler takes action.

When cowbirds are present It gives alarm calls that will even alert Red-winged Blackbirds nesting nearby. If there is a cowbird egg found in its nest, the Yellow Warbler may abandon the nest and build a new one elsewhere. Alternatively, it may smother the cowbird egg with another nest on top--the record is a six-tier nest.

Because it favors second-growth habitat, it is not vulnerable to loss of old-growth habitat. However, with the warming climate, populations will likely leave Rhode Island over time as it expands its breeding range northward to northern Canada and Alaska.

For more information:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-warbler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_warbler
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dendroica_petechia/
https://www.birdsbybent.com/////ch31-40/ywarbler.html
Clarkson, C. E., Osenkowski, J. E., Steen, V. A., Duhaime, R. J., and Paton, W.C. (2023) The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife. pp. 394-395.
Howe, Jr., R.H. and Sturtevant, E. (1899) The Birds of Rhode Island. pp. 16, 86.