YELLOW WARBLER (Dendroica petechia) 



The yellow warbler breeds in streamside thickets of willow, alder, and 

 Cottonwood in Yellowstone and Grand Teton. This slender, active bird is 

 the only yellow warbler with spots on its tail. The male also has rusty 

 streaks on the breast. The nest of the yellow warbler is a deep, felted cup 

 placed in the upright crotch of a shrub or tree. Yellow warbler nests are 

 frequently parasitized by cowbirds, which do not build nests of their own, 

 but lay their eggs in the nests of other species. The larger, more aggressive 

 cowbird fledgling usually crowds the young warblers out of the nest and 

 becomes the sole object of the parent warbler's attention. It is not un- 

 common to see an adult yellow warbler feeding a cowbird fledgling twice 

 its size. 



Yellow-rumped Warbler 



Dale & Marian Zimmerman 



WESTERN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella neglecta) 



The familiar meadowlark is one of our most widespread and most abun- 

 dant songbirds. Its cheery song, plump profile, and conspicuously marked 

 yellow and black breast are its most identifiable characteristics. Meadow- 

 larks are common breeding birds in the sagebrush-grassland habitat com- 

 plexes in Yellowstone and Grand Teton. In this environment the meadow- 

 lark builds a grass domed nest and feeds on beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, 

 caterpillars, wasps, ants, spiders, and seeds. When on the ground the mea- 

 dowlark flicks its tail incessantly and in flight displays white outer tail 

 feathers. Meadowlarks are not true larks but are related to the blackbirds 

 and orioles. 



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