Photo Credit: Pine Warbler — James Giroux
Pine Warbler
Setophaga pinus
Content and photos by James Giroux
Believe it or not, cooler days are on the way – along with our winter bird residents. One of those residents is the Pine Warbler. It brings a welcome splash of yellow to brighten up the drab colors of winter. At least the male brings the color. The female is a bit drab with only a hint of yellow, and the first year birds are even more drab with completely gray tones.
Female
First-winter
In central Texas, we have four wintering warbler species: Pine Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Common Yellowthroat. In our area, the Pine Warbler is the least common of these, because – as its name implies – it likes pine trees. Austin is on the edge of its range, and you are much more likely to see this species on the east side of Travis county. As you move east, it becomes more common, and is a year-round resident in far-east Texas (as well as the Lost Pines area in Bastrop county). In the right pine-forest habitat, you can sometimes see large flocks of this species from 50 to 100 birds.
Most of our warblers migrate either well north into Canada, or well south into Mexico and South America. Many range to the extreme north and extreme south. But the Pine Warbler seems to prefer the U.S. halting just at the Canadian border and the Mexican border.
Most warblers are not seed eaters, but the Pine Warbler eats large quantities of seeds. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with Pine Warblers, you can attract them to your yard with bird seed. In fact, all the photos in this article were taken around a feeder at my mom’s house in Huntsville, Texas. Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers will also visit your winter feeders if you have suet or a peanut-butter mix.
If they are not at a feeder, Pine Warblers are usually high up in a pine tree or on the ground. In pine forests, you can often hear their musical trills up in the forest canopy long before you can see them. But beware, because there are a couple other birds that can fool you with their similar trills. Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos live in the same habitat, and unless you know the songs very well, can cause confusion.
While Pine Warblers can be seen in the Austin area, your best chance for adding this bird to your life list is in the Bastrop area. They can be reliably seen in the pine forests of Bastrop State Park year-round.
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