Sweet-sweet-sweet-little more sweet!
Familiar sounds from a familiar bird that is seen early for migration, many times in late July or August. Wet brushy habitats (second growth) will assure your success on viewing this little beauty, especially around willow and cottonwood thickets, as well as orchards and hedgerows.
Present in most of the country in spring or fall, the Yellow Warbler will be certain to please you with its lovely song and characteristic demeanor. It forages on stems and leaves of trees and bushes. Males will forage higher than females, who seen to prefer a more laid back style of gleaning their insects and spiders.
Male Yellow Warbler
in breeding plumage, Boomer Lake Park
This wood warbler arrives on the breeding ground is late April or May. Though a rare breeder in Oklahoma, it will breed occasionally in the north central or northeast portions of the state. The Brown-headed Cowbird parasitizes many of this species, yet it remains plentiful. The warbler simply builds a second tier upon the nest, lays more eggs, and goes about its business, sometimes as many as six times.
They have one or two broods a year, and the monogamous pair build a cup nest of grass, moss, lichen and spider silk lined with softer material. This can be found in an upturned tree fork or in a dense shrub or bush. Females will sometimes help themselves to nest material from other nests, taking about four days to manage construction. The male does little to contribute to this endeavor, and he will even feed young occasionally. He is busy protecting the female, nest, and territory from interlopers.
Female Yellow Warbler
Boomer Lake Park--Heron Cove
The species has simple needs for territory. It only requires about a half acre of real estate, high singing posts, sufficient foraging areas, and plenty of concealment.
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