Western Palm Warbler

This bird consists of two subspecies, the Yellow Palm Warbler in the east and the Western Palm Warbler.

 

Palm warblers, Setophaga palmarum, are everywhere in winter. In the cities or in the boonies, odds are pretty good that you'll cross paths with one. By our completely unscientific measure, they are by far the most numerous warbler in South Florida.

 

The key word in the above paragraph is winter. Palm warblers are migratory birds. They spend their summers throughout much of Canada into the Northwest Territories, and the northern tier of the United States, where they breed, then head south for the winter. They'll arrive here as early as September and October and will stay until April, when they make the journey northward.

 

Palms can be found throughout Florida, up the Atlantic Coast into the Carolinas, and along the Gulf Coast to Texas. They also winter in the Caribbean, including Cuba, the Yucatan and into Central America. We've seen them as far south as Key West.

 

Palms are brightly colored in the summer, with a rusty-red cap and a bright yellow belly. However, they're on the dull side during winter when we're most likely to see them. About the only bit of color on them in winter is some yellow near the tail. If you look closely at the the top off the photograph, you'll see a hint of the palm's red cap.

 

Found this male in his Breeding colors along the shore of Lake Marian in Osceola County, Florida.

 

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