{"id":59348,"date":"2019-08-05T05:22:37","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T11:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=59348"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:15:11","slug":"molting-yellow-warbler-male-with-a-stubby-little-tail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/05\/molting-yellow-warbler-male-with-a-stubby-little-tail\/","title":{"rendered":"Molting Northern Yellow Warbler Male With A Stubby Little Tail"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MaleMale Northern Yellow Warbler with a stubby tail – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Some birds that are molting can look a little odd and this molting male Northern Yellow Warbler with a stubby little tails fits that description perfectly.<\/p>\n

Not only does he have extremely short tail feathers (retrices) I could also see that he is molting his flight feathers (remiges) so he doesn’t look as perfect as I am sure he did as when he arrived on his breeding grounds.<\/p>\n

I photographed this male Northern Yellow Warbler as he foraged yesterday morning while up in a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a>. He moved quickly from one branch of a willow to another and I only had a few opportunities to photograph him where he was out in the open.<\/p>\n

It doesn’t matter to me whether the birds I photograph are in perfect condition at all, they have cycles in their lives and I like to document them all.<\/p>\n

Very shortly these yellow bundles of joy on the wing will be heading to their wintering grounds but right now they are getting ready for that long journey by feasting on insects and fruits. I will hate to see them go and I always miss them when they are gone. July sure went by fast.<\/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":"

Some birds that are molting can look a little odd and this molting male Northern Yellow Warbler with a stubby little tails fits that description perfectly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127117,"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_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,4594,2281,26,773],"tags":[4004,4062,2312,2313,4069,3887,2282,14868,2315,6285,5517,3888,3889,6107,902,6492],"class_list":["post-59348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-morgan-county","category-yellow-warblers","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-male","tag-molt","tag-molting","tag-mountains","tag-yellow-warbler","tag-setophaga-aestiva","tag-stubby","tag-summer-3","tag-tail","tag-tailless","tag-warbler","tag-warblers","tag-willow","tag-willows","tag-wood-warblers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/yellow-warbler-no-tail-mia-mcpherson-7110.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-fre","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":111647,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/26\/scruffy-and-tailless-male-yellow-warbler\/","url_meta":{"origin":59348,"position":0},"title":"Scruffy And Tailless Male Northern Yellow Warbler","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"While I was searching for other photos of a mammal I had taken, I came across this picture I had taken of a scruffy male Northern Yellow Warbler without a tail to share.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scruffy male Northern Yellow Warbler without a tail, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/yellow-warbler-male-scruffy-no-tail-mia-mcpherson-6260.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-male-scruffy-no-tail-mia-mcpherson-6260.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/yellow-warbler-male-scruffy-no-tail-mia-mcpherson-6260.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/yellow-warbler-male-scruffy-no-tail-mia-mcpherson-6260.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":104737,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/04\/male-yellow-warbler-in-august\/","url_meta":{"origin":59348,"position":1},"title":"Male Northern Yellow Warbler In August","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I wanted to share three male Northern Yellow Warbler photos that I took yesterday morning in a Morgan County canyon.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Northern Yellow Warbler and willow leaves, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/yellow-warbler-male-adult-mia-mcpherson-0737.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-male-adult-mia-mcpherson-0737.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/yellow-warbler-male-adult-mia-mcpherson-0737.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/yellow-warbler-male-adult-mia-mcpherson-0737.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":115210,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/08\/16\/male-yellow-warbler-and-great-company\/","url_meta":{"origin":59348,"position":2},"title":"Male Northern Yellow Warbler And Great Company","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"When I photographed this male Northern Yellow Warbler yesterday morning in the high Wasatch Mountains, I was in the great company of my dear friend, April Olson.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Northern Yellow Warbler peering out from a willow, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/yellow-warbler-male-willows-mia-mcpherson-7575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/yellow-warbler-male-willows-mia-mcpherson-7575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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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, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Yellow-Warbler-juvenile-calling-pantone-2021-mia-mcpherson-9488.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52862,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/07\/02\/photographing-yellow-warblers-feeding-their-fledglings-fun-and-frustration\/","url_meta":{"origin":59348,"position":4},"title":"Photographing Northern Yellow Warblers Feeding Their Fledglings – Fun and Frustration","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I had fun and frustration while photographing Northern Yellow Warblers feeding their fledglings up in a Wasatch Mountain canyon, fun because it is always great to see them and frustration because of the setting they were in combined with a breeze.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fledgling Northern Yellow Warbler begging to be fed by a male, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-begging-mia-mcpherson-0952.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-begging-mia-mcpherson-0952.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-begging-mia-mcpherson-0952.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/yellow-warbler-fledgling-begging-mia-mcpherson-0952.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":59348,"position":5},"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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