West · Pacific Flyway
Warblers in Arizona
Warblers in Arizona come down to 44 species with regular eBird records, led by the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Together they account for 1,146,899 of the 20 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 5.6% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Painted Redstart, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Grace's Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Rufous-capped Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, American Redstart, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Palm Warbler, Canada Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler and Worm-eating Warbler. Wood-warblers are small, active, often brightly colored insect-eaters, and for many birders they define spring migration. A few species winter in the southern states; most breed in the north and pass through in April–May and again in September–October.
Warblers in Arizona: every species, most-reported first
Every warbler with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) — 297,484 records, 1.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in November.
2. Lucy's Warbler (Leiothlypis luciae) — 134,633 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to July and peaking in April.
3. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) — 121,761 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to September and peaking in May.
4. Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata) — 93,068 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in October.
5. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) — 82,515 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) — 72,108 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May, August and September with a peak in September.
7. Painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus) — 66,445 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to September and peaking in August.
8. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens) — 65,451 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
9. Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) — 49,672 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in June.
10. Grace's Warbler (Setophaga graciae) — 31,292 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to August and peaking in May.
11. Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) — 28,992 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May, August and September with a peak in September.
12. Red-faced Warbler (Cardellina rubrifrons) — 23,147 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to August and peaking in May.
The remaining 32 species — MacGillivray's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Rufous-capped Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, American Redstart, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Palm Warbler, Canada Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler and Worm-eating Warbler — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see warblers in Arizona
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, warblers are most prominent in April, May and September and least in February and January. 2 of the 44 species are year-round — Common Yellowthroat and Black-throated Gray Warbler — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Lucy's Warbler arrives around March and is mostly gone after July (peak April); Yellow Warbler arrives around March and is mostly gone after September (peak May); Painted Redstart arrives around March and is mostly gone after September (peak August); Yellow-breasted Chat arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak June); Grace's Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after August (peak May); Red-faced Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after August (peak May).
Winter visitors. Yellow-rumped Warbler arrives around October and leaves after April (peak November); Orange-crowned Warbler arrives around September and leaves after April (peak October); Northern Parula arrives around November and leaves after January (peak November); Black-and-white Warbler arrives around October and leaves after March (peak January); Louisiana Waterthrush arrives around August and leaves after August (peak December); Pine Warbler arrives around October and leaves after October (peak February).
Passage migrants. Wilson's Warbler is reported mainly in April, May, August and September; Townsend's Warbler is reported mainly in April, May, August and September; MacGillivray's Warbler is reported mainly in August and September; Nashville Warbler is reported mainly in August and September; Hermit Warbler is reported mainly in April, August and September; Northern Waterthrush is reported mainly in September.
Attracting warblers to Arizona backyards
Warblers rarely visit seed feeders. Native trees and shrubs that host insects, a shallow moving-water feature, and no pesticides are what bring them into a yard, especially during migration.
In Arizona the warbler most likely to turn up is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Warblers in Arizona: FAQ
How many species of warblers are there in Arizona?
44 species of warblers have regular eBird records in Arizona (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Painted Redstart, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Grace's Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Rufous-capped Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, American Redstart, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Palm Warbler, Canada Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler and Worm-eating Warbler.
What is the most common warbler in Arizona?
The Yellow-rumped Warbler, with 297,484 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Lucy's Warbler with 134,633. It is a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in November.
When is the best time to see warblers in Arizona?
April, May and September, when the combined share of Arizona eBird records belonging to warblers is highest. Summer visitors such as the Lucy's Warbler arrive around March. Winter visitors such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler arrive around October.
More birds in Arizona
Warblers in other states
Warblers in Arizona: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Arizona records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Parulidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.