Northern Yellow Warbler

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Northern Yellow Warbler by Zak Pohlen / Macaulay Library

Warblers

Northern Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva

ORDER: Passeriformes
FAMILY: Parulidae

Basic Description

North America has more than 50 species of warblers, but few combine brilliant color and easy viewing quite like the Northern Yellow Warbler. In summer, the buttery yellow males sing their sweet whistled song from willows, wet thickets, and roadsides across most of the U.S. and Canada. The females and immatures aren’t as bright, and lack the male’s rich chestnut streaking, but their overall warm yellow tones, unmarked faces, and prominent black eyes help pick them out.

More ID Info

Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding

Range map provided by Birds of the World

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Find This Bird

Listen for Northern Yellow Warblers singing when you’re in wet woods, thickets, or streamsides—they’re one of the most commonly heard warblers in spring and summer. Their song isn’t hard to learn—a tumbling series of whistles that sounds like sweet sweet sweet I’m so sweet. Look for them in the tops of willows and other small trees.

Other Names

Reinita Amarilla (Spanish)
Paruline jaune (French)

Backyard Tips

Northern Yellow Warblers eat mostly insects, so they don’t come to backyard feeders. Larger yards that have small trees or are near streams may provide nesting habitat for these birds.

Cool Facts
- In 2025, ornithologists split Yellow Warbler into two species: the migratory Northern Yellow Warbler and the nonmigratory Mangrove Yellow Warbler. Northern Yellow Warbler breeds across most of Canada and the U.S., as well as parts of Mexico, and has a nonbreeding range that extends from southern California to northwestern Brazil. Mangrove Yellow Warbler occurs year-round in coastal mangroves in the Caribbean, the Galapagos, and along sections of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts from Baja California and southern Texas to northwestern South America.
- The nests of the Northern Yellow Warbler are frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird. The warbler often builds a new nest directly on top of the parasitized one, sometimes resulting in nests with up to six tiers.
- Life can be dangerous for a small bird. Northern Yellow Warblers have occasionally been found caught in the strands of an orb weaver spider’s web.
- The oldest-known Northern Yellow Warbler was a female and was at least 11 years old when she was recaught and rereleased during banding operations in New York.