Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Audubon's)
Dendroica coronata
I never tire of observing Yellow-Rumped Warblers. The ones on this page are the subspecies Audubon's. It isn't simply that they are beautiful, but they are varied in both appearance and habitat. They winter in the southern half of the United States, Mexico and and Central America. Then in the spring they occupy parts of the northern half of the U.S. (including Alaska) and most of Canada. Both males and females usually display a yellow throat, rump, and flanks. The male has a yellow cap during the breeding season (April-August, two left-most photographs). The left photograph was taken in my north Berkeley, CA neighborhood in November 2014. In California I have not seen a Yellow-Rumped Warbler as blue as the one in the middle photograph, taken in the woods by the Taggert Lake area of the Grand Tetons National Park, WY in June 2013. The right photo is of the warbler above the water at Damon Slough, part of the MLK Regional Shoreline in Oakland, CA, taken in December 2014. (Click on images to see enlarged versions.)