Yellow Warbler, male

Setophaga petechia

Yellow Warbler · Prospect Park · 25 May 2026

A male Yellow Warbler in Prospect Park in late May, back from Central America to breed in the willows and shrubs at the water's edge. It is the most widespread warbler in North America, from Alaska to Mexico, and one of the few that breeds in the park rather than passing through.

One of the few warblers that is genuinely, almost entirely yellow, including the wing and tail edges; the fine chestnut streaking on the breast marks a male. Yellow Warblers have a specific defence against Brown-headed Cowbirds, which lay eggs in other species' nests: on finding a cowbird egg, a Yellow Warbler will build a new nest floor over the whole clutch and start again, sometimes stacking several floors in a season.