Golden-winged Warbler - Michigan - 2017
/In the Introduction of the 1997 edition of Warblers of North America, the authors (Jon L. Dunn and Kimball L. Garrett) list several reasons why warblers can be a challenge for field identification. One reason that resonated with me given my limited success in getting decent photos of wood warblers in the past was "warblers are small and very active, often foraging at high levels and in dense foliage, where subtle markings are hard to discern." To date, these are my best photos of Golden-winged Warblers. All are large crops.
Larger versions of the photos can be viewed by clicking on the image.
Golden-winged Warbler - Michigan - 2017
Also from Warblers of North America by Dunn and Garrett - "The yellow crown and wing patch, combined with the chickadee-like head pattern, make the identification of males simple; females also show enough of this pattern to be readily identified in the field."
Golden-winged Warbler - Michigan - 2017
From: All About Birds
"A boldly marked warbler with a color pattern all its own
They have suffered severe population declines in the last half-century. They often hybridize with Blue-winged Warblers ...",
Golden-winged Warbler - Michigan - 2017
From: American Bird Conservancy's web site.
"Golden-winged Warblers also suffer from competition and hybridization with Blue-winged Warblers; parasitism by cowbirds, which lay their eggs in the warbler's nests; and loss of wintering habitat in Latin America."
A number of conservancy groups are cooperating in attempts to reduce the population decline of Golden-winged Warblers. A 66 percent reduction in population size has occurred since 1966 mostly because of loss of breeding ground habitat.
Golden-winged Warbler - Michigan - 2017