

Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler (Setophaga coronata).

Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler (Setophaga coronata hooveri).Listen to both the Yellow-rumped Warbler's song and call (both vocalizations are from the Yellow-rumped Warbler's "Myrtle" form): Calls include a rather metallic “ check” or “ chep.” The Yellow-rumped Warbler's song is a slow, loose, sweet " tuwee-tuwee-tuwee-tuwee,” usually rising or falling at the end. In fall, the Yellow-rumped usually migrates later than other warblers, appearing on wintering grounds around the same time as other winter residents such as the White-throated Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Brown Creeper. North American populations of the Yellow-rumped Warbler are short- to medium-distance migrants, only moving as far south as the central United States, south to the Caribbean and sparingly to central Panama. A formal split of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, which requires a decision by the North American Classification and Nomenclature Committee of the American Ornithological Society, may be forthcoming. The most recent genetic data suggests that the Myrtle, Audubon's, Goldman's, and possibly Black-fronted forms may actually be separate species. These are the distinctive and nonmigratory "Black-fronted" Warbler of northwestern Mexico and the "Goldman's" Warbler of Guatemala. Two of these subspecies, associated with the "Audubon's" group, are found further south. These two groups are further divided into five subspecies. The two groups hybridize where their ranges meet in southwestern Canada, and were combined into a single species in 1973, named the Yellow-rumped Warbler. North America is home to two migratory Yellow-rumped Warbler groups that are sometimes considered separate species: the "Myrtle" Warbler of eastern and far-northwestern North America and the "Audubon's" Warbler of the West. This bird's species name, coronata, means crowned. Adults also have a yellow crown patch, most obvious in adult males. Birders affectionately refer to this species as "butter-butt," since its bright yellow rump is an eye-catching and diagnostic field mark throughout the year. The Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the most widespread and well-known warblers in North America.

Yellow-rumped Warbler range map, Birds of North America, maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
