The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a small songbird with a wide range of plumages, but one mark never changes: a bright yellow patch on the rump that flashes as the bird flies off. It also has a small yellow patch on each side of the chest and white spots in the tail. Spring males are the brightest, and young females in fall and winter are the dullest.
Two forms reach Oregon. The western Audubon’s form, which nests in the mountains, has a yellow throat. The eastern Myrtle form, which turns up mainly in winter, has a white throat and a crisp dark cheek.
It is one of the most adaptable warblers. In summer it picks insects and spiders from twigs and needles, hovers to pluck them from foliage and darts out after flying insects. In colder months it adds berries, and it can digest the waxy coating on some fruits, which lets it winter farther north than most warblers. Unlike most warblers in the state, many stay in Oregon through the winter.
In the breeding season, listen for its sharp chek call and loose, buzzy warble in conifer forest, up to high elevations. In winter, look for small flocks in lowland trees, thickets and backyards.
How to identify it
A small warbler about 5 to 6 inches long with a bright yellow rump, a small yellow patch on each side of the chest and white spots in the tail. Audubon's birds have a yellow throat; Myrtle birds have a white throat and a well-marked dark cheek patch. Listen for a sharp chek call.
Habitat
In the breeding season, open conifer and mixed forests and their edges, from low elevations into high mountain forest. In winter it moves into open woods, streamside trees, thickets, backyards and parks at lower elevations.
Sightings in the forest
121 research-grade sightings in Mt. Hood National Forest on iNaturalist, most recently on October 9, 2026. See them on iNaturalist →