Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Yellow-Rumped Warller

I always know that winter is coming here in FL when I start seeing Yellow-Rumped Warblers everywhere I look. Afterall, the weather itself won't let you know down here here. When these warblers begin arriving, it's kind of fun because I'll see all these birds fluttering around flashing their yellow rumps at me. It's really rather indiscreet when you think about it. Anyway, Yellow-Rumped Warblers have many different looks that they give you--males look different from females; adults look different from immature, and they look different in their basic (winter) and alternate (breeding) plumage. Western birds even look different from Eastern. But there are two signs that will pretty reliably help you identify them. Look for the yellow rump, though it's not always visible when perched, and look for splashes of yellow on their sides with a streaked chest. I decided this winter I'd pay special attention to these birds, even though they're very common, just to collect their many pretty looks. Here are some photos of this beautiful bird from this past Saturday at Merritt Island: