Golden-Winged Warbler male, no place given, May 2013. Dominic Sherony, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Golden Winged Warbler female, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, OH, May 2014. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

golden-winged warbler

Vermivora chrysoptera

Identification: 
The male of this tiny warbler has a gray back, white belly,  black throat, black around the eyes, and distinctive yellow wing patches.  The top of its head is also yellow.  Females are more gray, white, and yellow; they lack the bold black pattern on throat and head.  To complicate things, Golden-Winged Warblers sometimes hybridize with Blue-Winged Warblers and create yet more combinations of black, yellow, gray, and white.

Behavior:
For its breeding grounds, the Golden-Winged Warbler prefers early successional habitat and particularly areas that are recently clear-cut.   Young aspen groves are one example.  Thick tangles of shrubbery in these areas attract breeding birds; this species is a ground nester.  Golden-Winged warblers are exclusively insectivores, gleaning from trees and shrubs.  They will open up a curled leaf to extract a hiding caterpillar.   The parent birds first tend nestlings at the nest, but later move them to a more forested habitat until they are grown. 

What brings it to the SBG?
Probably only food and cover.  Nearby Scotia Range is known as a breeding site for Golden-Winged Warblers, but the SBG doesn’t entirely fit the ideal criteria for nesting habitat. 

When can I see it?
Spring through fall; but if you want to keep seeing it, support conservation efforts. The Golden-Winged Warbler has been assigned “near threatened” status owing to various factors including reforestation in its breeding range, competition from the Blue-Winged Warbler, and habitat loss in its winter range (Central America and northwestern South America).  Read about how you can help in the 2013 “The Golden-Winged Warbler Conservation Plan,” available in PDF on the Internet.