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Another migrant from up north I think. The northern version males & females look like this while the “Resident Yellow Warbler” here has a female that is also the same while the resident male has a reddish-brown cap. In my gallery I just keep them all together in the Yellow Warbler Gallery. 🙂 And there I have only one photo of a resident male, seen on Rio Tarcoles.
¡Pura Vida!
I used to see a lot more of these but that was back when I saw a lot more of all birds than now. It is the Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechia (eBird link) which is found in all of the lowlands of Costa Rica but be aware that some books are now separating the American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva) and the Mangrove Warbler (Setophaga petechia) which is the one that is a resident of Costa Rica while the American are migrants from the north and also here. The Mangrove Warbler is best known to birders as the one whose male has a chestnut red head. The females seem to be identical. You can see both in my Gallery of Yellow Warblers. And eBird has kept them together as I do in my gallery. Here’s 3 shots from my garden . . .
She was in the early morning shadows at breakfast on my terrace, thus poor photos, but I had to share since it’s the first Yellow Warbler I’ve gotten in a long time, maybe this year, though usually more common. There can be both local residents and migrants from the north, with this one being an adult female, meaning I can’t tell since both local and migrant females are the same, while males are different with the male in CR having a rusty-red head. There is also a CR Mangrove Warbler that is almost identical, but it only lives in the Mangroves along the coast, thus never here in Atenas in the Central Valley, while the Prothonotary Warbler can be in both locations but is a little more distinct or never confused with this one.
See more in my Yellow Warbler GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
This Yellow Warbler (eBird link) was playing hide-and-seek with me in the afternoon shadows and tree limbs/leaves. For some reason I’m getting fewer birds in this tree than I got in the past which may have to do with it being much taller than the house now and birds go to the top above my line of vision. I know that is where toucans always go, but some of these smaller song birds do stay lower. For much better photos, see my CR Yellow Warbler Gallery. And here’s 4 shadowy shots of the hide-and-seek Yellow Warbler yesterday afternoon . . .
The Yellow Warbler is one of the more common birds found all over North and Central America with a huge migration south each winter which is mostly what we have here in Costa Rica right now. See the maps in the above Cornell link.
With a slight variation there is a “Resident Species” of Yellow Warbler that lives here year around and is identified mainly by the resident male (my photo) who has a rust-colored or orange-brown head.
These photos are of one bird in my Cecropia Tree at breakfast last Saturday, one of the migrants from North America. They will return north in April or May, some as far north as Canada and Alaska! Amazing!
¡Pura vida!
See my CR Yellow Warbler Gallery or all of my Costa Rica Birds or go for All My Birds that includes my photos of birds from 10 countries! 531+ species!
We have both resident and migrant Yellow Warblers this time of year. This one looks like a juvenile and could be either resident or migrant.
I have started my online Photo Gallery on Rancho Humo, but just the BIRDS section is taking longer than I thought, so it will be a few days before finished. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
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| Yellow Warbler Migrant Male In my Garden Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Yellow Warbler Migrant Male In my Garden Atenas, Costa Rica |
NATIONAL MULES FESTIVAL
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| Yellow Warbler joined me for Breakfast Friday My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I believe it is a migratory male from the states. The year-around male here has an orange/rust colored head. The female is usually lighter colored than this. This is not an uncommon bird, but all species are fun to see and to have in decent light for a photo. The next shot is not as good, but he’s flying and that to me is always fun to catch! 🙂
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| Yellow Warbler Atenas, Costa Rica |
My Costa Rica Birds photo gallery for more bird photos
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| Bare-throated Tiger Heron Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Great Blue Heron Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Great Blue Heron in an Interesting Posture Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Cattle Egret Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Snowy Egret Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Yellow-crowned Night Heron Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Great Egret (left) and Whimbrel (right) Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Whimbrel Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Spotted Sandpiper Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Mangrove Swallow Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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Groove-billed Ani
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
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| Ringed Kingfisher Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Yellow Warbler, resident male with orange head Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Yellow Warbler juvenile I think Gray on head/neck is similar to Prairie Warbler, but not my choice In my Nance Tree, Home Garden, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| Yellow Warbler In my Nance Tree, Home Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I continue to be happy with the large variety of birds right here in my own gardens! I will keep traveling to more exotic places for even more birds, but it is fun to have these at breakfast!