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Northern Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva · New World Warblers

Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)
(c) Ad Konings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ad Konings · CC BY-NC · via iNaturalist

Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva) is in the New World Warblers family (Parulidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 47,706 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in May.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: seasonal. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Northern Yellow Warbler: observations by month (U.S.)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

About Northern Yellow Warbler

The yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia) is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus Setophaga, breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, as well as northern South America.From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Northern Yellow Warbler by state

StateObservationsPeak monthMain season
California7,884SeptemberSep–Sep
Texas5,933SeptemberAug–Sep
Ohio3,438MayMay–May
New York2,997MayMay–Jun
Massachusetts2,008MayMay–May
Pennsylvania1,803MayApr–Jun
Arizona1,598AprilApr–Jun
Minnesota1,453MayMay–May
Illinois1,451MayMay–May
Michigan1,362MayMay–Jun
Colorado1,318MayMay–Jul
Wisconsin1,263MayMay–Jun
Utah1,049MayMay–Jun
Vermont1,023MayMay–Jun
Oregon921MayMay–Jun
Washington840MayMay–Jun
New Jersey825MayMay–May
Florida769SeptemberAug–Oct
Maine654MayMay–Jun
Connecticut596MayMay–Jun
Indiana596MayMay–May
Maryland581MayApr–May
Idaho493MayMay–Jul
Nebraska479MayMay–May
Montana461MayMay–Aug
New Mexico451MayApr–May
Alaska442JuneMay–Sep
Virginia425MayApr–May
South Dakota411MayMay–Jun
Wyoming388JuneMay–Aug
Rhode Island379MayMay–Jun
Louisiana313AugustAug–Oct
Nevada283MayMay–May
Oklahoma276MayMay–May
Kansas252MayMay–May
Tennessee231MayApr–May
Missouri225MayMay–May
New Hampshire218MayMay–Jun
Iowa205MayMay–May
Delaware202MayMay–May
North Carolina199MayApr–May
North Dakota192MayMay–Jul
South Carolina151SeptemberAug–Sep
Georgia150SeptemberAug–Oct
West Virginia150MayApr–Jun
Alabama97AprilApr–May
Mississippi95SeptemberAug–Oct
Kentucky84AprilApr–May
Arkansas55MayMay–May
District of Columbia37MayMay–May

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (New World Warblers)

Photography tips

  • Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
  • Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
  • Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
  • Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ

When is the best time to photograph Northern Yellow Warbler?
Nationally, May has the most observations, with the main season from May to May.
Where is Northern Yellow Warbler most often seen?
The most observations come from California, Texas, Ohio.