Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
Maine’s earliest returning warbler each spring, arriving before most trees have leafed out. Yellow rump is one of the most obvious features, inspiring the nickname “butter butts” among birders, though other warblers also have that field mark. Yellow-rumps also have two white wingbars, a “necklace” of dark streaks on upper breast, and bluish (male) or gray (female) upperparts, white throat, and yellow patch on top of head. Two bright yellow patches on sides of breast like a pair of oncoming car headlights when viewed from the front. These early arrivals are also the last warblers to leave Maine, and a few have been known to overwinter, mostly along the coast where they often feed on bayberry. Voice: A weak, loose trill or series of whistled notes. Length: 5.5″ (14 cm)
~ Maine’s Favorite Birds by Jeffrey V. Wells & Allison Childs Wells
~ Illustrated by Evan Barbour
~ Tilbury House, Publishers, 2012
Rock Bottom Homestead 