23OC0586Z-SharpenAI-Motion-denoise-standardW
Palm Warbler
MEASUREMENTS
Both Sexes
Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (7-13 g)
Wingspan: 7.9-8.3 in (20-21 cm)
Palm Warbler
© Luke Seitz | Macaulay Library
Color Pattern
Palm Warblers are dull brownish-olive above with yellow under the tail and throat. The outside corners of their tails flash white in flight. In eastern birds the belly is yellow, while in western birds the belly is white. Sexes are similar, and during the breeding season they have a rusty cap and some rusty streaking on the belly. Nonbreeding birds have paler yellow undertails and a dull brown crown.
Palm Warbler
© Margaret Viens | Macaulay Library
Behavior
This is one bird where behavior—this bird’s near-constant tail-wagging—can help confirm its identity. They mainly forage on open ground or in low vegetation, rather than in forest canopy as many warblers do (although they do sing from high perches in trees and shrubs).
© Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library
Habitat
During migration and winter Palm Warblers use weedy fields, forest edges, fence rows, and other areas with scattered trees and shrubs. They breed in the boreal forest of the far north, where they use bogs with scattered evergreen trees and thick ground cover.
Palm Warbler
© Daniel Jauvin | Macaulay Library
Regional Differences
Plumage of Palm Warblers is different on either side of James Bay which lies between Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Palm Warblers east of James Bay (“Yellow” Palm Warblers) have entirely yellow underparts with stronger rusty streaks on the breast and yellow eyebrows. Those west of James Bay (“Western” Palm Warblers) have whitish bellies, yellow undertails, and pale eyebrows. During the breeding season, “Western” Palm Warblers also have a yellow throat with some rusty streaks on the breast. "Western" Palm Warblers winter primarily in the Caribbean while "Yellow" Palm Warblers winter primarily along the Gulf Coast, but the two subspecies mix in the southeastern United States.
23OC0586Z-SharpenAI-Motion-denoise-standardW
Palm Warbler
MEASUREMENTS
Both Sexes
Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (7-13 g)
Wingspan: 7.9-8.3 in (20-21 cm)
Palm Warbler
© Luke Seitz | Macaulay Library
Color Pattern
Palm Warblers are dull brownish-olive above with yellow under the tail and throat. The outside corners of their tails flash white in flight. In eastern birds the belly is yellow, while in western birds the belly is white. Sexes are similar, and during the breeding season they have a rusty cap and some rusty streaking on the belly. Nonbreeding birds have paler yellow undertails and a dull brown crown.
Palm Warbler
© Margaret Viens | Macaulay Library
Behavior
This is one bird where behavior—this bird’s near-constant tail-wagging—can help confirm its identity. They mainly forage on open ground or in low vegetation, rather than in forest canopy as many warblers do (although they do sing from high perches in trees and shrubs).
© Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library
Habitat
During migration and winter Palm Warblers use weedy fields, forest edges, fence rows, and other areas with scattered trees and shrubs. They breed in the boreal forest of the far north, where they use bogs with scattered evergreen trees and thick ground cover.
Palm Warbler
© Daniel Jauvin | Macaulay Library
Regional Differences
Plumage of Palm Warblers is different on either side of James Bay which lies between Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Palm Warblers east of James Bay (“Yellow” Palm Warblers) have entirely yellow underparts with stronger rusty streaks on the breast and yellow eyebrows. Those west of James Bay (“Western” Palm Warblers) have whitish bellies, yellow undertails, and pale eyebrows. During the breeding season, “Western” Palm Warblers also have a yellow throat with some rusty streaks on the breast. "Western" Palm Warblers winter primarily in the Caribbean while "Yellow" Palm Warblers winter primarily along the Gulf Coast, but the two subspecies mix in the southeastern United States.