A small warbler with bright yellow wing patches.

Also called: Golden-wing

Native status: Native; near threatened

§ Quick facts

SizeBody 11–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in); wingspan 19 cm
Weight8–10 g
LifespanWild typically 7+ years
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyParulidae

§ Encyclopedia

The golden-winged warbler is a small migratory insectivorous bird in the New World warbler family Parulidae. It breeds in southeastern and south-central Canada and in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeastern to north-central United States. The majority (~70%) of the global population breeds in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Manitoba. Golden-winged warbler populations are slowly expanding northwards but are generally declining across its range. This is most likely as a result of habitat loss and competition/interbreeding with the very closely related blue-winged warbler, Vermivora cyanoptera, albeit the latter point has been debated. Populations are now restricted to two regions: the Great Lakes and the Appalachian Mountains.

Source: Wikipedia — Golden-winged warbler Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Small striking warbler: males have black mask and throat, bright yellow forehead and wing patch, gray back; females duller with less black.

Similar species. Blue-winged Warbler (yellow body, dark eye line). Hybrid forms intermediate. Black-throated Gray Warbler (different range, gray underparts).

Voice. Buzzy "bee-buzz-buzz-buzz" — distinctive.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Caterpillars (especially leaf-rolling species), spiders, occasional small flies.

Behavior. Breeds in young shrubby second-growth and forest edges across the Appalachians and Great Lakes. Declined 66% since 1966. Range has retracted northward and to higher elevations as Blue-winged Warblers (a related species) have expanded — hybridizing extensively (producing "Brewster's" and "Lawrence's" hybrid forms), and possibly outcompeting genetically pure golden-wings. Climate change appears to favor blue-wings.

§ Range

Eastern North America in summer

§ Habitat

Brushy areas, young forests

§ Threats

Habitat loss, hybridization pressure.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the golden-winged warbler is currently classified as Near Threatened.

§ What helps

Support brushy habitat conservation.

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§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • Cornell Lab — All About Birds
  • Golden-winged Warbler Working Group
  • American Bird Conservancy
  • IUCN Red List 2018