A male Northern Yellow Warbler has red stripes down the front of his yellow breast. They are stunning.
Yet what stays with me is the yellow. I can think of no North American bird that is more yellow.
Face and crown are yellow.
Throat, belly, back are yellow.
The tail is yellow, both above and below.
The rump and undertail coverts are yellow.
Back is somewhat tinged with green but appears essentially yellow.
Even the breast is yellow, the red streaks actually accenting the color.
The female may be the yellowest bird of all. She has little or no red streaks on her breast. She’s just yellow all over.
I am especially fond of the Yellow Warbler because it nests in Iowa. Of about 30 species of warblers that are found in Iowa, less than half breed here. Most are on their way to their preferred habitats far to the north of us. Some need spruce-fir forests, or vast, cool woodlands, or high-elevation mountain forests. These are habitats Iowa does not offer.
But Yellow Warblers are happy with what Iowa has in abundance. They often choose to nest in hedgerows or streamside shrubs. And they are especially attracted to willows.
Whenever I find myself walking through a grove of willow trees on a spring morning, I tune my ear to a soft, whispered song:
tsee-tsee-tsee, tswiss-twiss twiss-twit!
Recording by Diane Porter
It’s not loud, and other birds often drown it out. But there is a flash of yellow high in the trees, among the fluffy catkins. He’s singing. Advertising his territory.
A pair will nest here. Ah, the glory!
Love them, too. Used to go to an area park with a shrubby path along the river where I would see them. The park is closed this summer for "renovations" (uneccessary in my opinion, I like the old school natural feel of it) but the warblers have decided to visit my back yard as if they knew I would miss them.
Wow! So pretty... Like a lemondrop in the willows. xoxoox