Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia
North American birders who are fortunate
to have Yellow Warblers breeding in the backyard may be surprised
to see that the males of the resident race on Bonaire have a
bright red cap. Other than that, they look and sound quite similar.
Yellow Warblers are common throughout most of the island. We've
seen over 100 at a time coming to waterholes or the edges of
small ponds during dry periods. Some authors consider this form
to be a separate species that they call the Golden Warbler.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that migrant Yellow Warblers
from North America may pass through or occasionally winter on
the ABCs. To make matters further complicated, some of the immature,
worn, or molting resident Yellow Warblers can look like other
warbler species that are rare or unrecorded for the island such
as Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, or Cape May Warbler.
