The myrtle warbler (''Setophaga coronata'') is a small

New World warbler The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Most ...

. It is considered a subspecies of the

yellow-rumped warbler The yellow-rumped warbler (''Setophaga coronata'') is a regular North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive distribution range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well ...

and its own species by different classification societies. The myrtle warbler has a northerly and easterly distribution, with the

Audubon's warbler Audubon's warbler (''Setophaga auduboni'') is a small bird of the family Parulidae. This passerine bird was long known to be closely related to its eastern counterpart, the myrtle warbler, and at various times the two forms have been classed as ...

further west. It breeds in much of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

. It is migratory, wintering in the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

, eastern

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. It is a rare vagrant to

western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

, and has wintered in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. The summer male myrtle warbler has a slate blue back, and yellow crown, rump and flank patch. It has white tail patches, and the breast is streaked black. The female has a similar pattern, but the back is brown as are the breast streaks. The myrtle can be distinguished from the similar Audubon's warbler by its whitish eyestripe, white (not yellow) throat, and contrasting cheek patch. Their trill-like songs, nearly indistinguishable, consist of a 3–4 syllable "tyew-tyew-tyew-tyew", sometimes followed by 3 more "tew"'s. The call is a hard ''check''. Its breeding habitat is a variety of

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

ous and mixed woodland. Myrtle warblers nest in a tree, laying 4–5 eggs in a cup nest. These birds are

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

, but will readily take

wax-myrtle ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the Family (biology), family Myricaceae, Taxonomic rank, order Fagales. The genus has a wide Species distribution, distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North A ...

berries in winter, a habit which gives the species its name. Experienced

birders Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

recognize myrtle warblers with the naked eye by their flycatcher-like habit of making short flights from their perch in search of bugs. They form small flocks on migration or in winter.

Taxonomy

This

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

was long known to be closely related to its counterparts

and myrtle warbler, and at various times the three forms have been classed as either one, two or three species. At present, the

American Ornithological Society The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its m ...

and Clements considers the myrtle, Audubon's, and Goldman's warbler three subspecies of the

(''Setophaga coronata coronata'', ''Setophaga coronata auduboni,'' and ''Setophaga coronata goldmani'' respectively) while the IOC World Bird List classifies the myrtle warbler, Audubon's, and Goldman's warbler as separate species (''Setophaga coronata'', ''Setophaga auduboni'', and ''Setophaga goldmani'').

Gallery

File:Setophaga coronata coronata.png, left, Back view of myrtle warbler showing yellow crest and rump.

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

References

*''New World Warblers'' by Curson, Quinn and Beadle, {{Taxonbar, from=Q2192309

myrtle warbler The myrtle warbler (''Setophaga coronata'') is a small New World warbler. It is considered a subspecies of the yellow-rumped warbler and its own species by different classification societies. The myrtle warbler has a northerly and easterly distri ...

Birds of Canada Native birds of the Northeastern United States