WhenToBird

Setophaga coronata · Parulidae

When Do Yellow-rumped Warblers Arrive in Pennsylvania?

Adult Yellow-rumped Warbler
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-rumped Warblers are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in mid October (25% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: mid October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 25% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.7% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.9% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.6% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 23% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.2% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.3% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.3% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.8% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 27% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.6% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.7% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.7% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 50651 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Pennsylvania that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Philadelphia CountyBest late April · 4183 checklists that week, 96,503 in all49%
  2. Bucks CountyBest mid October · 1747 checklists that week, 95,030 in all46%
  3. Wayne CountyBest the second week of October · 157 checklists that week, 10,444 in all37%
  4. Mifflin CountyBest the second week of October · 79 checklists that week, 6,998 in all36%
  5. Luzerne CountyBest the second week of October · 488 checklists that week, 34,996 in all35%
  6. Northampton CountyBest early May · 1874 checklists that week, 45,480 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Owls Nest ParkBucks County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 708 in all98%
  2. Moreland PondMontgomery County, best late October · 30 checklists that week, 805 in all93%
  3. Woodland LakeMonroe County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 725 in all92%
  4. Doylestown Bike & Hike PathBucks County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 779 in all88%
  5. Trout Run ParkBerks County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 192 in all86%
  6. Taylor Memorial ArboretumDelaware County, best late April · 45 checklists that week, 316 in all86%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 10% of 92903 checklists7 am: 9.4% of 241233 checklists8 am: 8.7% of 271994 checklists9 am: 7.3% of 236842 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 199508 checklists11 am: 5.8% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 5.4% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 5.5% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 6.3% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 1.8% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January2.2%2.3%2.1%2.0%
February2.0%1.6%1.4%1.9%
March1.8%1.8%2.1%2.7%
April3.9%7.6%14%23%
May27%20%7.2%1.3%
June0.5%0.5%0.5%0.6%
July0.6%0.6%0.4%0.3%
August0.2%0.2%0.3%0.6%
September1.1%1.7%3.3%7.8%
October19%27%29%21%
November12%6.6%4.7%3.7%
December3.1%2.7%2.6%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives mid September, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid September, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives mid September, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Yellow-rumped Warblers arrive in Pennsylvania?
Yellow-rumped Warblers are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in mid October (25% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Yellow-rumped Warblers leave Pennsylvania?
Most Yellow-rumped Warblers have left Pennsylvania by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler in Pennsylvania?
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is reported most often in mid October, on about 25% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Yellow-rumped Warblers seen most often?
By county, Philadelphia County, Bucks County, and Wayne County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-rumped Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).