Critter of the Month

The Yellow-rumped warbler is one of the most common and wide-spread warbler. Often found as the core member of mixed flocks of other warblers most often in early spring and fall.

This warbler spends its winters with us here in Tennessee and leaves in spring for it's breeding grounds to the north.

There are two main populations fo Yellow-rumped warblers. 'Audubon's' that breed mainly in mountains of the western US and into British Columbia and 'Mytle' that breeds from the eastern US into Alaska and Canada. All plumages show that 'bright' yellow 'rump' for which the species is named.

Yellow-rumped warblers are mainly insectivores. Working the branches of trees in search of caterpillars, larvae, spiders it will also zip out from a perch to catch craneflies and gnats in mid-air. When insects are scarce they'll switch to eating fruit incluing wax myrtle due to it's special ability to digest the waxy coating on the berries. Yellow-rumped warblers have also been seen feeding at backyard feeders for seed and suet.

Although still common, increasing in numbers and wide-spread through it's range, it faces the same challenges and threats as less common warblers. Collisons with window glass, communication tower collisons, outdoor cats are just a few threats that face all migratory songbirds.