The warblers are some of our most beautiful breeding birds.  During the spring and summer, insects and other invertebrates are their primary food.  Each year as the days get shorter and insect populations begin to wane most of these colorful birds leave the United States and winter in areas with warmer temperatures and lots of insects.  Back homed huge numbers of yellow-rumped warblers’ winter in North America from Nova Scotia to Florida particularly along the coast.  How are the able they able to winter so far north?

Yellow Rump Warbler

     The answer is the yellow-rumped warbler is able to switch its’s diet consisting mainly invertebrates to a diet that is mainly fruits and berries.  In particular, they are able to consume fruits such as bayberries (also known as wax myrtle berries.  Other warblers cannot make this transition.  These waxy fruits remain on the plants that produced them throughout the winter.  Other warblers cannot digest these waxy berries, however, yellow rumps  can.  Consequently, wherever wax myrtle berries are present they are the bird’s primary winter food.

     Well, there you have it, the secret winter food of the yellow-rumped warbler is wax myrtle berries.