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Summer Yellow-rumped Warbler in SC



An apparent adult female Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, Dendroica 
coronata, was observed twice today (19 June) in a bird bath at Hilton 
Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History near York, South Carolina.

The bird was seen from a distance of 20 feet with naked eye and 
through 10x binoculars at about 7 pm EDT. The two observations 
totalled three minutes and occurred in good light. Observers included 
Bill Hilton Jr. and Susan Hilton.

The yellow crown, flanks, and rump patch were clearly visible as the 
bird fanned its feathers in the water. A dark (but not black)mask 
surrounded each eye, and the dorsal plumage appeared gray-black; 
these plumage characters indicated that the bird was probably a 
female. Wing bars were white but not pronounced. Prominent white 
spots on the outer tail feathers indicated the bird was likely at 
least a year old.

There are almost no substantiated summer records for this species in 
South Carolina; in fact, yellow-rumps may be considered "accidental" 
at this time of year. Only one record (16 July 1940, Berkeley County, 
with no details) is included in "Status and Distribution of South 
Carolina Birds" (Post and Gauthreaux 1989).

Typical breeding range for the species is Canada and the northern 
tier of the U.S.


RESEARCH PROGRAM
Bill Hilton Jr., Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road
York, South Carolina 29745 USA
e-mail: research@hiltonpond.org