Identification - This warbler is the size of a sparrow. It has a uniform bright yellow body with a series of thin chestnut or reddish streaks running down the breast and sides. The upperparts are yellow green with brighter yellow patches in darker wings and tail. Its yellow tail spots are the best field mark year-round.
Morsels - All warblers are favorite hosts of the Brown-headed Cowbird. This parasitic bird lays its eggs in their nests and allows the warbler to hatch and raise their young. The baby cowbird hatches earlier and is usually more vigorous than its nest mates. Often the baby warblers starve while the noisy cowbird gets most of the food brought to the nest or the larger cowbird forces them out of the nest. The Yellow Warbler is one of the most common hosts but it often seems to recognize the alien egg for what it is and builds a new nest over top of the old one, burying the cowbird egg so that it never hatches.
