Types of Warblers

Warblers and Others
Types of Birds black-throated gray warbler picture

While many birds go by the name warblers, the term more specifically applies to the very diverse neotropical songbirds in the family Parulidae.

The fifty seven wood warbler species, covering fifteen genera, that fill North American trees each spring also bring bursts of color and song.

Twenty five wood warblers, almost half of the North American population, belong to a single genus, Setophaga. Many, but not all of these small sized warblers display yellow feathers over portions of their bodies and wings.

Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi), pictured above, an almost exclusively western species, strikes quite the pose with bold black patches and stripes on a yellow feathered body.

Named for John Kirk Townsend, a Philadelphia born naturalist who explored the American west in the mid-nineteenth century.

The more muted feather colors of the Black-throated Gary Warbler (Setophaga virens), pictured in the box on the right, contrasts nicely with other western species.

A small population winters along the southern border.

Yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata) fairly common North American migrants, also flash their yellow feathers for birders as they dart among the tree limbs in their never ending quest for insects.

picture of a female yellow-rumped warbler, Audubon's subspecies

Two subspecies arrive in spring. Picture two shows a male Myrtle subspecies. The lack of a patch of yellow feathers covering the throat area distinguishes it from the Audubon's subspecies.

Picture three shows a female Audubon subspecies.

The Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata), a small, dull green or olive feathered warbler flys across most of North American durings its annual migration to and from its northern most summer breeding grounds.

Many populations also winters along southern North American borders and Mexico.

Along with the Yellow-rumped warblers, they begin migrating during early spring.

picture of a male common yellowthroat warbler

Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas) inhabit many North American swamps and grasslands.

The male is characterized by a black mask on the face and a striking yellow feathered throat.

The black cap atop the Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla), another Western species, makes it a fairly easy to identify species.

Types of Warblers