Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata Scientific name definitions

Formerly considered 2 species, the Myrtle Warbler in the East and Audubon's Warbler in the West, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the most common warblers in North America. With a broad breeding range, stretching from Alaska south to Guatemala and east to the northeastern United States, it is often abundant in winter in the southern United States, Mexico, and the western Caribbean.

Among warblers, this species is one of the most ecologically generalized. Although it is confined largely to coniferous breeding habitat, individuals forage in a broad range of microhabitats and employ a variety of foraging techniques, from fly-catching to foliage-gleaning for insects. During the nonbreeding season, this warbler is found in almost any habitat and expands its diet to include a substantial amount of fruit. Its ability to digest the waxes in bayberries (Myrica spp.) make it unique among warblers, and allows populations to winter in coastal areas as far north as Nova Scotia.

Myrtle and Audubon's warblers hybridize in the southern Canadian Rockies. On the basis of this evidence, as well as genetic similarities, the two were combined into a single species. These two former species are very similar in most aspects of their biology, including breeding, foraging, habitat, and song.

Despite the wide range and abundance of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, many aspects of its biology remain largely unstudied—particularly its breeding biology, owing in part to the remoteness of much of its breeding range and to its low breeding densities. Perhaps because the species is so numerous during migration and winter, recent advances have centered on this part of the annual cycle, and often make use of captive birds. These investigations include studies of migration behavior and physiology (Yarborough and Johnston 1965 Yarborough, C. G. and D. W. Johnston. (1965). Lipid deposition in wintering and premigratory Myrtle Warblers. Wilson Bulletin 77:175-191. Close , Hussell and Caldwell 1972 Hussell, D. J. T. and L. D. Caldwell. (1972). Flight metabolism of the Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coronata) during nocturnal migration. Paper read at Proceedings of the 15th International Ornithological Congress. Close , Terrill and Ohmart 1984 Terrill, S. B. and R. D. Ohmart. (1984). Facultative extension of fall migration by Yellow-rumped Warblers (Dendroica coronata). Auk 101:427-438. Close , Moore and Simm 1985 Moore, F. R. and P. A. Simm. (1985). Migratory disposition and choice of diet by the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata). Auk 102:820-826. Close , Moore and Phillips 1988 Moore, F. A. and J. B. Phillips. (1988). Sunset, skylight polarization and the migratory orientation of yellow-rumped warblers, Dendroica coronata. Animal Behaviour 36:1770-1778. Close , PDH), digestive physiology (Place and Stiles 1992 Place, A. R. and E. W. Stiles. (1992). Living off the wax of the land: bayberries and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Auk 109:334-345. Close , Afik et al. 1995 Afik, D., E. C. Vidal, C. Martinez del Rio and W. H. Karasov. (1995). Dietary modulation of intestinal hydrolytic enzymes in yellow-rumped warblers. American Journal of Physiology 269:R413-R420. Close ), and metabolism (Yarbrough 1971 Yarbrough, C. G. (1971). The influence of distribution and ecology on the thermoregulation of small birds. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 39A:235-266. Close , Hussell and Caldwell 1972 Hussell, D. J. T. and L. D. Caldwell. (1972). Flight metabolism of the Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coronata) during nocturnal migration. Paper read at Proceedings of the 15th International Ornithological Congress. Close ). Work in the hybrid zone in Canada has greatly expanded our understanding of the systematics of the complex (Hubbard 1969 Hubbard, J. P. (1969). The relationships and evolution of the Dendroica coronata complex. Auk 86:393-432. Close , Hubbard 1970b Hubbard, J. P. (1970b). Geographic variation in the Dendroica coronata complex. Wilson Bulletin 82:355-369. Close , Barrowclough 1980 Barrowclough, G. F. (1980). Genetic and phenotypic differentiation in a wood warbler (genus Dendroica) hybrid zone. Auk 97:655-668. Close ). A great deal of work has also been done on the species' ecological niche in both breeding and wintering warbler assemblages, particularly in the areas of foraging ecology and behavior (Morse 1968a Morse, D. H. (1968a). A quantitative study of foraging of male and female spruce-woods warblers (Parulidae). Living Bird 3:9-43. Close , Morse 1976b Morse, D. H. (1976b). Variables affecting the density and territory size of breeding spruce-woods warblers. Ecology 57:290-301. Close , Morse 1989a Morse, D. H. (1989). American Warblers: An Ecological and Behavioral Perspective. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. Close , Malmborg and Willson 1988 Malmborg, P. K. and M. F. Willson. (1988). Foraging ecology of avian frugivores and some consequences for seed dispersal in an Illinois woodlot. Condor 90:173-186. Close ).