Yellow Warbler - Birdwatching - Ecuador

The Yellow Warbler is frequently spotted in Galápagos, flitting across the trail or snapping up bugs near the water’s edge. It is a small, bright yellow bird with black stripes on its wings. The Yellow Warbler is the only small, dazzling yellow-colored bird in the islands: you can’t mistake it for anything else. Yellow Warblers are not endemic to Galapagos: in other parts of the world, they prefer the edges of boggy wetlands and fields with trees. They’re found all over the western hemisphere, from Alaska to Peru.

You’d expect to see the tiny warbler feeding on the ground or in a low tree: nevertheless, they have found that there are more insects to be found along the shoreline than in the dry interior of the islands. The Galápagos Yellow Warblers are therefore often seen quickly darting along the shore, nipping up insects. They also occasionally feed on seeds or fruit.

Male Yellow Warblers have distinctive reddish stripes on their breast. Females are a little more drab and have duller stripes, or may lack them altogether. Males also have a reddish “cap” on top of their heads. Their song sounds a little like “sweet sweet sweet.”

Birdwatching