Bird Watching In Southern Ontario
The Yellow-rumped Warbler
Warblers are one of the migratory birds found across Northern America that pass through southern Ontario, I had no idea they took a pit stop in my backyard during spring until I began birdwatching in my yard. Some like the Yellow-rumped warbler will even hang around the entire summer.
The Yellow-rumped warbler is one of the larger warblers, it gets its name from the bright yellow patch at the base of the tail which makes it easy to distinguish from other warblers, especially the Magnolia warbler which is very similar in appearance, in fact when I was painting one I wasn't sure whether it was the Magnolia or Yellow-rumped warbler I was depicting.
Besides their yellow "butt" they also have some yellow on the sides below the wings and males have a visible yellow "cap" on the top of the head. And like the magnolia warbler, the Yellow-rumped warbler's white breast is streaked with black (Magnolia warblers have a yellow breast). As is the case with all warblers, it has a short pointed bill.
There are 2 subspecies of the Yellow-rumped warbler, the Myrtle warbler found in the north and east of North America, and the Audubon's warbler found in the west. The Myrtle warbler has a white streak above the eye whereas the Audubon does not not but has a yellow throat.
You won't find warblers at your bird feeder as they are not seed eaters, their diet consists of some berries, nector and insects found on the branches of trees. To attract warblers to your backyard you can plant berry producing plants. And since they like nector you might want to try putting out a hummingbird feeder in an attempt to attract warblers. Some have also been known to come to feeders containing suet.
If your backyard is visited by warblers, spotting one is difficult because they are very active birds that don't stay in one spot for more than a few seconds as they are always on the look out for a meal. Your best chance of getting a good look at one is during migration in the spring when there are more of them around and before leaves on trees have fully formed. If you are patient with a pair of binoculars you may just find a few flitting quickly from branch to branch, and one of them may be a Yellow-rumped warbler!
Did You Know?
The yellow-rumped warbler is the most common warbler in North America
The Yellow-rumped warbler winters in the souther US, Mexico and Caribbean
This warbler with the yellow rump is humorously but affectionately is called "Butterbutt"
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My Digital Bird Art of Yellow-rumped Warbler and Purple Iris Flowers
Available at Redbubble on an assortment of gift products and art prints
