Tropical Parula

Setophaga pitiayumi

Also known as: Olive-Backed Warbler

About This Species

Look high in the canopy of woodlands draped with Spanish moss or similar epiphytes across the southern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America, where this small, active warbler gleans insects from foliage and moss clumps. Its buzzy, rising trill is a useful cue to scan upward, since the bird itself moves quickly and can be easy to lose among leaves. It is present year-round through much of its range, though some northern populations shift south outside the breeding season.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

Because it forages high overhead, normal birdwatching distance with binoculars poses little disturbance risk, and there is no need to approach the tree itself.
Legal protections for songbirds vary across the many countries spanning its range from the US through Central and South America, so avoid assuming a single rule applies everywhere.
As with any small songbird, avoid lingering near a location where one is repeatedly carrying food, since that indicates an active nest nearby.

LCAvesPasseriformesParulidae

Seasonal Activity

389,762 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

All monthsThis month

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae

Photo

CC-BY-SA-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.