Identification - This bird is the size of a sparrow. There are distinct two forms which used to be separate species. The eastern "Myrtle" Warbler is blue-gray above with a white throat and yellow rump. It also has a broad black mask, an incomplete white eye ring, and a white fringe above the mask. The crown is yellow. The back is black streaked. The wings are gray and black with two white bars. The flanks are white and yellow. The upper chest is banded by black leading to black streaked flanks and a white belly. The western "Audubon's" Warbler is similar but has a darker back, a yellow throat, and a large white wing flash instead of wing bars.
Morsels - Both forms are among our most vivid and hardiest warblers. They most often sing from high in the forest tree tops. In the East the "Myrtle" Warbler is one of our first spring migrants, coming north just behind the retreating lines of snow and ice. In the West the "Audubon's" Warbler is traditionally one of the first warblers to arrive. In autumn both forms regularly linger in the north far longer than most other warblers.
