Setophaga coronata
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) is a North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well as Canada and Central America, with the population concentrated in the continent's northern reaches during the breeding season and migrating southwards to southern North and Central America in the winter. It generally prefers coniferous forests or mixed coniferous-deciduous forests as its breeding habitat, while during the winter it can be found inhabiting more open areas such as shrublands that offer food resources. The yellow-rumped warbler is primarily insectivorous, though the species eats fruit such as juniper berries, especially in winter.
The species combines four closely related forms: the eastern myrtle warbler (spp. coronata); its western counterpart, Audubon's warbler (spp. group auduboni); the northwest Mexican black-fronted warbler (spp. nigrifrons); and the Guatemalan Goldman's warbler (spp. goldmani). All subspecies of the yellow-rumped warbler are characterized by the yellow rump as its name implies, while intra-group and inter-group variations in appearance exist in spite of many similarities. The myrtle and Audubon's groups, as two major subspecies, are distinguished by noticeable features such as differing throat colorations. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-rumped Warbler sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 6,324 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-rumped Warbler in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in May to September, the lowest months. Those are among Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in September.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-rumped Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
22nd of 84
Of the 84 parks where we can rate Yellow-rumped Warbler sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 22nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Jasper National Park (Canada, about 80%), Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 70%) and Glacier National Park (United States, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Setophaga
The closest relatives of the Yellow-rumped Warbler that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (genus Setophaga, Setophaga Warblers) are Palm Warbler (about 40%), Northern Parula (about 10%) and Northern Yellow Warbler (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-rumped Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (6,324 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
