Yellow-rumped Warblers on Their Way Out

By Corey • March 12, 2010 • 4 comments

It was way back in 1973 that the AOU lumped together the Myrtle Warbler and Audubon’s Warbler, creating the Yellow-rumped Warbler, or, more affectionately, good ol’ Butterbutts, much to the dismay of listers everywhere who lost a species from their various and sundry lists. Now, as Nate of The Drinking Bird reports, the lump might be undone - we may have a split coming! Listers, rejoice!

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About the Author

Corey

Corey is a New Yorker who has lived most of his life upstate but has spent the last three years in Queens. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list and broke the magical 300 barrier in New York State in 2007 by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy, their son, Desmond Shearwater, and their two indoor cats, Hunter and B.B.

4 Responses to “Yellow-rumped Warblers on Their Way Out”

Donna Schulman Mar 12th, 2010 at 2:12 pm

The big problem with the “lump” was the abandonment of two pretty names for one of those descriptive but too-many-syllables, does-not-roll-off-the-tongue names. I am a fairly recent birding convert, but was educated by long-time birders who never abandoned the Myrtle.
Nick Mar 12th, 2010 at 2:57 pm

You had me thinking ‘oh no, another bird species with crashing populations…’
Nate Mar 12th, 2010 at 4:11 pm

@Nick - Or another winter species heading north…
Nick Mar 12th, 2010 at 4:22 pm

Hahaha - I didn’t think of that. Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers are still in great numbers here in central Florida (and Pine, but they are resident), but I did realize the other day that I need to start taking more notice of the big flocks, because they are going to disappear soon.

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