{"id":103990,"date":"2022-07-09T05:15:07","date_gmt":"2022-07-09T11:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=103990"},"modified":"2026-05-22T10:38:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:38:06","slug":"irresistible-young-yellow-warbler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/09\/irresistible-young-yellow-warbler\/","title":{"rendered":"Irresistible Young Northern Yellow Warbler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NorthernNorthern Yellow Warbler chick in patchy juvenal plumage \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday morning I photographed a juvenile Northern Yellow Warbler in the patchy mix of yellow and gray feathers that they only sport for a short time after fledging.\u00a0 When Northern Yellow Warbler chicks hatch their downy feathers are a soft, mousy gray color.<\/p>\n

Later on when these young warblers are ready to leave the nest some people might describe them as patchy, bedraggled looking or even having a moth-eaten appearance.<\/p>\n

\"CuteCute juvenile Northern Yellow Warbler in the mountains \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

For me it is one of my most favorite plumage phases of young Northern Yellow Warblers. They are so messy looking in appearance that I find them to be irresistible. I will photograph them at every opportunity.<\/p>\n

In these images I can see pinfeathers where new yellow feathers will emerge. One day when they are of breeding age their plumage will matter when it comes to mate selection.<\/p>\n

At this age it doesn’t matter that the mix of gray and yellow feathers gives them a messy, patchwork appearance. I know from experience that this mix of gray and yellow feathers can help to camouflage them in their habitat which makes it harder for predators or even some bird photographers to spot them.<\/p>\n

\"InquisitiveInquisitive young Northern Yellow Warbler in the Wasatch Mountains \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Before this young Northern Yellow Warbler<\/span><\/a> migrates in the fall all of its gray natal down will be replaced with the yellow feathers that give this species their common name.<\/p>\n

For a few weeks during the summer I am enchanted by this mix of their gray and yellow feathers.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Northern Yellow Warbler photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday morning I photographed a juvenile Northern Yellow Warbler in the patchy mix of yellow and gray feathers that they only sport for a short time after fledging.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,2281,1731,26,773],"tags":[3940,4134,5774,4067,6780,4643,4071,4069,3887,13041,4104,1053,9626,2282,2315,3888,3889,6070,902,6491,6492,4193],"class_list":["post-103990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-yellow-warblers","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-canyon","tag-chick","tag-cute","tag-immature","tag-inquisitive","tag-juvenal-plumage","tag-juvenile","tag-mountains","tag-yellow-warbler","tag-patchy","tag-perched","tag-plumage","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-setophaga-aestiva","tag-summer-3","tag-warbler","tag-warblers","tag-willow-thicket","tag-willows","tag-wood-warbler","tag-wood-warblers","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/yellow-warbler-juvenile-perched-mia-mcpherson-4396.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-r3g","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":71788,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/10\/yellow-warbler-fledglings-everywhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":103990,"position":0},"title":"Northern Yellow Warbler Fledglings Everywhere","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"There were several Northern Yellow Warbler fledglings in this shrub and the adults were running themselves ragged trying to keep them all fed.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Northern Yellow Warbler fledgling in a Blue Elderberry bush, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/yellow-warbler-chick-elderberry-mia-mcpherson-9495.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/yellow-warbler-chick-elderberry-mia-mcpherson-9495.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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July 12th, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-mia-mcpherson-8921.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-mia-mcpherson-8921.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-mia-mcpherson-8921.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-mia-mcpherson-8921.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":105456,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/26\/male-yellow-warbler-in-a-serviceberry\/","url_meta":{"origin":103990,"position":2},"title":"Male Northern Yellow Warbler In A Serviceberry","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As I took these Northern Yellow Warbler photos earlier this week in the mountains I realized that my time with these bright birds is coming to an end for the season.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Northern Yellow warbler poking around a serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/yellow-warbler-adult-male-summer-mia-mcpherson-6374.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/yellow-warbler-adult-male-summer-mia-mcpherson-6374.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow Warbler juvenile calling from a Blue Elderberry, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Yellow-Warbler-juvenile-calling-pantone-2021-mia-mcpherson-9488.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Yellow-Warbler-juvenile-calling-pantone-2021-mia-mcpherson-9488.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Yellow-Warbler-juvenile-calling-pantone-2021-mia-mcpherson-9488.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/yellow-warbler-male-spring-mia-mcpherson-9769.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/yellow-warbler-male-spring-mia-mcpherson-9769.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/yellow-warbler-male-spring-mia-mcpherson-9769.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/yellow-warbler-male-spring-mia-mcpherson-9769.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47851,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/08\/01\/female-and-juvenile-yellow-warblers\/","url_meta":{"origin":103990,"position":5},"title":"Female and Juvenile Northern Yellow Warblers – Yellow Gold in the Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I have my ears and my eyes to thank for finding the Northern Yellow Warblers and their young foraging near a creek in a canyon.","rel":"","context":"In "Morgan County"","block_context":{"text":"Morgan County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/morgan-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Northern Yellow Warbler begging, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/yellow-warbler-juvenile-begging-mia-mcpherson-9663.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/yellow-warbler-juvenile-begging-mia-mcpherson-9663.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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