Warblers are tiny, colorful birds that are full of energy. You’ll often spot them flitting through trees or bushes during spring and fall. Many of them have bright feathers and cheerful songs, which make them a favorite for birdwatchers.
But with more than 50 kinds in North America, warblers can be tricky to tell apart especially since they don’t stay still for long and can look different in each season.
In this guide, you’ll meet 30 different warblers from the bright and familiar Yellow Warbler to the rare Kirtland’s Warbler. You’ll learn how to identify them, where they live, and what makes each one special.
1. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
The Yellow Warbler is a bright, golden-yellow songbird often found flitting through willows and shrubs near water. Males show faint red streaks on their chest, while both sexes glow like sunlight in spring migration.
They sing a cheerful, whistled song that sounds like “sweet-sweet-sweet-I’m-so-sweet.” Easy to spot and widely distributed, it’s often the first warbler new birders learn to recognize.
2. Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
This adaptable warbler stands out for its namesake yellow rump — affectionately known as a “butterbutt” by birders. In breeding plumage, it also sports yellow patches on the sides and crown, with streaked gray-and-black upperparts.
Unlike most warblers, it can digest waxy berries, allowing it to winter farther north. You’ll often see it in flocks, flitting between trees or perched near berry bushes in fall and winter.
3. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
With its bold black “bandit mask” and bright yellow throat, the male Common Yellowthroat is easy to recognize. These secretive warblers prefer thick vegetation near water and often pop out with a sharp “witchety-witchety-witchety” call.
Females are plainer, lacking the mask, but still show warm yellow underparts. They’re often spotted hopping low through brushy areas.
4. Black-and-White Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
Unlike any other warbler, the Black-and-White Warbler crawls along tree trunks and branches like a nuthatch. Its bold black and white stripes and scratchy, squeaky song make it easy to identify.
They arrive early in spring and often forage solo, creeping along bark in search of insects.
5. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
This flashy warbler uses its bold black-and-orange tail like a fan, flicking it to flush insects from foliage. Males are striking, with a jet-black body and bright orange patches on the tail, wings, and sides. Females are gray and yellow, but equally active.
They’re one of the most animated warblers and a favorite to watch during migration.
6. Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)
True to its name, the Pine Warbler prefers open pine forests and rarely strays far from conifers. It’s one of the few warblers that regularly visits feeders — especially in winter — where it eats suet, seeds, and even cracked corn.
Its trill is softer and slower than that of a Chipping Sparrow, and its plumage is a subdued yellow-green with grayish wings and two pale wing bars.
7. Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)
Often spotted walking along the ground and wagging its tail, the Palm Warbler is one of the earliest migrants in spring. In breeding plumage, it sports a chestnut cap and yellow underparts; in fall, it’s drabber but still wags constantly.
Despite the name, it doesn’t rely on palms — it’s most often found in grassy fields, fence lines, and weedy ditches during migration.
8. Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina)
Despite its name, the Tennessee Warbler doesn’t breed in Tennessee — it nests in Canada and only passes through during migration. This small greenish bird has a pale eyebrow, white underside, and a sharp chip note that can give it away.
It’s known for feeding heavily on caterpillars, especially during spruce budworm outbreaks in boreal forests.
9. Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla)
This warbler has a bright yellow belly, a gray hood, and a subtle white eye ring. It’s an energetic forager, often staying low in shrubs during migration. Its name, like the Tennessee Warbler’s, comes from where it was first spotted — not where it lives.
10. Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata)
Often called one of the most overlooked warblers, the Orange-crowned Warbler is dull olive with faint streaking — and its “orange crown” is rarely visible. It can be tricky to distinguish, especially in fall, but its tail-wagging habit and soft chip call help.
This bird is more widespread than people think, visiting gardens and low shrubs during migration.
Read also: 21 Types of Wren Birds
11. Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)
This boldly marked warbler is a favorite among birders during spring migration. Males have a bright yellow chest with black streaks, a bold black “necklace,” and white tail spots that flash when they fan their tails.
Despite the tropical-sounding name, it breeds in northern coniferous forests and gets its name from being first spotted in a magnolia tree — in Mississippi.
12. Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)
Unlike most warblers, this one is easy to identify: males are deep blue with a black face and throat, and white belly. A bold white patch on the wing helps spot them even when they’re high in the trees. Females are olive-brown but show a similar wing patch.
13. Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)
A flashy little bird with bright yellow crown, white underparts, and rich chestnut flanks. It’s well-known for its musical “pleased-pleased-pleased-to-MEET-you!” song during the breeding season.
This species prefers shrubby second-growth areas and clearings — often in the very places other birds avoid.
14. Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)
Striking and unmistakable, the male Hooded Warbler has a glowing yellow face surrounded by a bold black hood and bib. It prefers shady understories where it flits low to the ground, often with a “chip!” call that gives away its presence.
This species prefers thick cover and is more often heard than seen.
15. Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)
Despite its name, the Prairie Warbler isn’t really found in prairies. It favors shrubby fields, open pine forests, and regenerating clearings. Males are yellow with black streaks on the sides and a distinctive facial pattern.
16. Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina)
This tiger-striped warbler is a standout during migration. Males have a chestnut cheek patch, yellow face, and bold black streaks down the chest. It has a unique curled tongue that allows it to sip nectar — rare for a warbler.
Though named after Cape May, New Jersey, it’s rarely seen there except during migration.
17. Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)
With its lemon-yellow body and slate-blue wings, this warbler is a favorite among bird photographers. A bold black eye line adds to its sleek look. It sings a buzzy “bee-buzz” song that’s surprisingly loud for such a small bird.
Often found in shrubby fields and regenerating woodland, especially in the Northeast.
18. Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
Tiny, bright, and energetic, Wilson’s Warbler is hard to miss in spring. Males are entirely yellow with a small black cap. They tend to stay low, making them easier to observe than many high-canopy warblers.
Common in migration and a frequent visitor to streamside vegetation.
19. Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)
Nicknamed the “swamp candle,” the Prothonotary Warbler glows bright yellow with bluish-gray wings. It’s one of the few warblers that nests in tree cavities, often near water in southern swamps.
Look for them clinging to vertical trunks near flooded forests. Their sweet, ringing song is easy to recognize.
20. Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)
Rare and declining, this stunning warbler sports a gray body, black throat and eye mask, and golden-yellow wing patches and crown. Its buzzy “bee-bzzz” song resembles that of the Blue-winged Warbler but is softer and slower.
Conservationists closely monitor this species due to hybridization and habitat loss.
Read also: 22 Types of Tit Birds
21. Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii)
Once one of the rarest birds in North America, the Kirtland’s Warbler has made a remarkable comeback thanks to conservation efforts. Males are gray and yellow with bold eye rings and black streaks on the sides.
They breed almost exclusively in young jack pine forests in Michigan and winter in the Bahamas, making sightings truly special.
22. Swainson’s Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii)
This elusive, plain brownish warbler is more often heard than seen. It prefers dense undergrowth in southern swamps and thickets. Its rich, whistled song carries well but it rarely leaves cover.
It may not have bold colors, but birders prize sightings due to its secretive nature.
23. Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis)
One of the most challenging warblers to find, the Connecticut Warbler prefers dense underbrush and is particularly secretive during migration. It has a yellow belly, gray hood, and prominent eye ring.
Most sightings occur during fall migration as it walks slowly along the ground.
24. Lucy’s Warbler (Leiothlypis luciae)
One of the few cavity-nesting warblers, Lucy’s Warbler is a desert dweller — a rare trait in this group. Pale gray with a faint rust-colored crown and rump, it blends well in arid landscapes.
You’ll find them in mesquite thickets and dry washes in the Southwest during spring.
25. Grace’s Warbler (Setophaga graciae)
This subtly beautiful warbler is mostly found in the pine forests of the American Southwest. It has a yellow throat, gray back, and bold white wing bars, making it easy to ID once you get the hang of it.
It forages high in pines and can be tricky to spot, but its high-pitched song helps locate it.
26. Virginia’s Warbler (Leiothlypis virginiae)
Small and subtly colored, Virginia’s Warbler features a soft gray back, yellow undertail coverts, and a touch of yellow on the breast. It’s an active forager often overlooked due to its preference for dense low shrubs.
It breeds in dry scrubby woodlands of the interior West and is best found by ear — its song is a fast, high-pitched trill.
27. Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)
This black-and-white streaked warbler has one of the longest migration routes of any songbird traveling nonstop over the Atlantic from New England to South America.
Males have a black cap and white cheeks in breeding season. In fall, they molt into a greenish-yellow plumage that’s completely different, making them tricky to ID.
28. Townsend’s Warbler (Setophaga townsendi)
A western counterpart to the Black-throated Green Warbler, this bold bird has a black-and-yellow face with a dark throat and streaked flanks. It breeds in Pacific Northwest forests and often forages high in conifers.
It’s also a regular winter resident in southern California, Mexico, and Central America.
29. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
Though not a typical warbler in appearance, the Ovenbird is part of the family. It looks more like a thrush — olive above, white below with bold black spots. It walks rather than hops and is named after its oven-shaped ground nest.
Its loud, emphatic “teacher-teacher-teacher” call rings through eastern forests.
30. Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)
This colorful warbler has a bluish back, green patch on the back, yellow throat, and white eye crescents. Males often show a rufous band across the chest. It’s small and active, often feeding in the canopy of moist woodlands.
Its buzzy, rising trill ends in a sharp note and is a sure sign of spring in the Southeast.
FAQS
Why are warblers so active and hard to photograph?
Warblers are constantly on the move because they forage for small insects in leaves and branches. Their high metabolism means they rarely sit still for long — making them tough but rewarding photo subjects.
What do warblers eat besides insects?
While most warblers are insectivores, some species — like the Cape May Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler — also eat nectar, berries, and even sap during migration or in winter when insects are scarce.
Can warblers visit backyard feeders?
Yes, but only a few species. Pine Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers are the most likely to visit feeders for suet, fruit, or mealworms. Most other warblers prefer natural foraging in trees and shrubs.
How can I tell a warbler from a vireo or kinglet?
- Warblers: Slim, active, often brightly colored, and sing frequently.
- Vireos: Slower-moving, thicker-billed, and more deliberate in behavior.
- Kinglets: Very small with thin bills and constant wing flicking.
Behavior and head shape are often better clues than color alone.
Why are warbler songs important for identification?
Many warblers look similar, especially in fall or among females. Their songs and chip calls are often the best way to ID them. Apps like Merlin Bird ID can help match audio in real time, even when the bird is hidden in dense foliage.
