Warblers

Warblers are small birds often easier to hear than see, with their frequent vocalizations. They often flit about quickly looking for insects, whether that is in the park's forest canopy or in subalpine shrubs.

Warblers - Order Passeriformes, Family Parulidae

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

Habitat: forest, subalpine
Seasons: occasional spring-summer, common fall
Size: length 5 in (12.7 cm), wingspan 7.25 in (18.4 cm)
Orange-crowned Warbler Calls

Pacific populations of orange-crowned warblers are a drab yellow overall (other populations have more grey) with blurred olive streaks on the breast and belly. They have sharply-pointed bills, long tails, and short, dark eyelines. Their orange crown patch is rarely seen.

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Habitat: forest, subalpine
Seasons: common spring-fall
Size: length 5 in (12.7 cm), wingspan 8 in (20.3 cm)
Townsend's Warbler Calls

Townsend's warblers have bright yellow faces and breasts broken by black auricular patches that wrap around the eye and back towards the ear. They also have black throats with black stripes that descend down the flanks and two white stripes on the wing coverts. Townsend's warblers can hybridize with hermit warblers (S. occidentalis), which do not have the black auricular patches on their yellow face, and lack yellow on the breast.

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Habitat: forest, subalpine
Seasons: common spring-summer
Size: length 4.75 in (12 cm), wingspan 7 in (18 cm)
Wilson's Warbler Calls

Wilson's warblers are yellow, with darker yellow-olive backs and wings. Males have a black crown patch, which is darker olive in females. Pacific populations are a brighter yellow overall, with a broader yellow supercillium (stripe over the eye) than other populations. They have large, dark eyes, and small bills.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Setophaga coronata

Habitat: forest, subalpine
Seasons: common spring-summer
Size: length 5.5 in (14 cm), wingspan 9.25 in (23.5 cm)
Yellow-rumped Warbler Calls

This warbler is larger, with a long tail, round head, and black bill. Males have grey plummage, but in general yellow-rumped warblers are brown with dark streaks on breast, flanks, and back. Wing coverts have white edges, with more white on males. Males also have dark breasts, and gold crowns. Both sexes have yellow throats, and yellow patches on the flanks and rump.

Return to Bird Guide