What is that yellow bird on my feeder?

What is that yellow bird on my feeder? Is that a Goldfinch, Warbler, a Pine Siskin or something else?

A brightly colored Yellow Warbler visits our mealworm feeder plate in early Spring.

I’ve spoken to many people that see yellow birds on their bird feeders and assume they are either American Goldfinches or someone had a pet parakeet that escaped. While it's certainly not impossible, it is pretty unlikely that a parakeet would show up at your feeders.

An adult male American Goldfinch loves to eat Safflower on a Tube Feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited.

Is that yellow bird on my feeder some type of Warbler?

Warblers are carnivores and love to eat live insects, spiders, caterpillars, dried mealworms and even suet cakes. The shape of their beak is narrower and longer than that of a finch. In contrast, finches have wider, taller beaks made for cracking open seed shells. Take a look at the photos below of some of the Warblers we’ve seen so far at our feeder and you’ll quickly see the difference when you look at finches in the future!

A pair of Yellow-Rumped Warblers grab a bite to eat before migrating further South for the Winter.

An adult male Yellow-rumped Warbler with breeding plumage growing in, Early Spring

Is that yellow bird on my feeder a Yellow-rumped Warbler?

(shown above)Yellow-rumped Warblers migrate from much further north in Fall, and stay with us from late Autumn until mid-Spring (typically April). When they arrive their feathers have already grown in for Winter warmth and these feathers have much less color and contrast, see the photo above of the pair. In February through April though you can witness the transformation with the “breeding plumage”. The photo below shows a male with the majority of his breeding colors in place. The Yellow-rumped Warblers will now have 2 very bright yellow patches on the sides of the breast, and a bright yellow spot between the wings as well, which is how they earned their nickname "Butter Butt". Maybe you saw a warbler, but it had more yellow on it than the Yellow-rumped variety. Keep scrolling down and let's see if we can help you identify what you saw!

Adult male Pine Warbler perches on a plate of mealworms

A Pine Warbler visits our suet feeder for a tasty bite of suet.

Is that Yellow bird on my feeder a Pine Warbler?

Pine Warblers (shown above) are also migratory but we have some year-round here in Marietta, Georgia. They will look a bit more dull in the winter, and will appear with a mustard-brownish yellow, (especially the female Pine Warblers), but their colors brighten up dramatically in the males in early Springtime, for breeding / attracting their mates. They are quick, flying in and grabbing a mealworm or two before flying back into brush or tree limbs nearby for cover.

Pine Warblers have a very high-pitch whistle for a bird call which may be your only clue they are nearby for most of the year. But in Winter when their live insect food sources are scarce, a plate of dried mealworms or a high-fat and protein Suet Cake can work wonders to bring them to your yard. (Product Link below, near the bottom)

Pine Warbler identification tip:

Pine Warblers will have 2 parallel white bars on their wings. Their coloration is much more evenly spread from head to neck to breast. When compared with a yellow-rumped warbler which will also have 2 parallel white bars, the yellow coloration is only seen in a few spots on these birds, and there are more streaks of black over their white bellies. Pine Warbler bellies are yellow!

A Tennessee Warbler photographed during Winter in Marietta, Georgia

A Tennessee Warbler enjoys Suet Nuggets from C&S

Is the yellow bird on my bird feeder a Tennessee Warbler?

Tennessee Warbler: We didn’t even realize we captured this photo and found out a few weeks later that the “pine warbler” we were photographing from a distance was in fact, a Tennessee Warbler. There are no visible bars of white along the wings or tail, and the subtle yellow color is much smoother and there is even a touch of brown at the corner of the wings/shoulders. The colors of this bird change from the subtle yellow to a warm grey right above the breast up to the eyes. This may be one of two we’ve ever spotted at our feeders to date! We will definitely keep looking for more though!

How do you attract Tennessee Warblers to your bird feeders?

In our case, we photographed one Tennessee Warbler eating C&S Peanut Suet Nuggets. In the other case, this beautiful warbler was attracted by dried mealworms and fresh water. Don't worry, we'll add the links for these products at the end of the blog for you as well!

A tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet looks at a tall stack of Suet Nuggets

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet peers into a bowl of dried mealworms

Is that yellow bird on my feeder a Ruby-crowned Kinglet?

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (photo above): These are tiny birds, relatively close to a Carolina Chickadee or a Pine Siskin (keep reading to see some photos of the siskins). Often in the Winter months they will fly in very quickly and snatch a small chunk of suet or a piece of a mealworm and then retreat to the cover of small shrubs or brush. We managed to capture a few photos of them for you to help you identify these adorable and energetic birds! They are only mildly yellow/brown but we wanted to be sure to include them here in case it helped you! Much like the warblers above, they do get more colorful and bright in the Spring. The easiest way to identify a Kinglet, is by the single white arm bar, and the yellow wing feathers which follow back to their tail feathers. At the right moment, you may even get a chance to see the "Ruby Crown" feathers as well!

A Pine Siskin eating fresh Safflower Seeds

Is that yellow bird at my feeder a Pine Siskin?

Pine Siskin: at a glance you might believe you have a bunch of female house finches but at a closer look, they are a bit smaller and they have a splash of yellow on their wings and tails. They usually travel in flocks and we’ve seen 2-3 of them at once only a few times, otherwise there were over 50 birds. They love to east Safflower seeds and hulled Sunflower meats as well. We'll add these products to the list at the bottom for you too!

An adult Male Scarlet Tanager in Winter Plumage visits our large pool (or dish with water in it).

A Scarlet Tanager visits our feeder during Autumn Migration

Is that yellow bird on my feeder a Scarlet Tanager?

While flipping through our photo archives we realized that we had a photo of another Yellow bird. This time it is a Scarlet Tanager in it’s Winter or migratory plumage, that stopped by for a snack and sip of water! It is pretty exciting to see all the different bird species that will come to your yard if there is a fresh, clean water source. Thanks again for reading and we hope you’ll follow us and share our page with your bird people 🙂

Is that a Summer Tanager on my bird feeder? How can you tell the difference between it and a Scarlet Tanager?

Updated on 10/9/2024 - We now also have recent photos of another yellow bird: The Summer Tanager! Note the black wings on the Scarlet Tanager (pictured above) and the yellow/brown wings on the Summer Tanager, below!

A Summer Tanager visits for water