West · Pacific Flyway
Warblers in California
Warblers in California come down to 44 species with regular eBird records, led by the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Together they account for 2,905,468 of the 62 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 4.7% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Hermit Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Palm Warbler, American Redstart, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern Waterthrush, Painted Redstart, Blackburnian Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Ovenbird, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Canada Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Tropical Parula, Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Golden-winged Warbler and Red-faced 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 California: 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) — 1,053,784 records, 1.7% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in December.
2. Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata) — 466,763 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) — 403,024 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) — 252,058 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to May and peaking in October.
5. Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) — 226,276 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in May.
6. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) — 209,093 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in September.
7. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens) — 78,922 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May, June and August with a peak in April.
8. Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) — 42,478 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May, June and August with a peak in April.
9. Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) — 39,667 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to July and peaking in May.
10. Hermit Warbler (Setophaga occidentalis) — 36,527 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in May.
11. MacGillivray's Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei) — 31,908 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in June.
12. Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) — 7,165 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to February and peaking in October.
The remaining 32 species — Palm Warbler, American Redstart, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern Waterthrush, Painted Redstart, Blackburnian Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Ovenbird, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Canada Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Tropical Parula, Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Golden-winged Warbler and Red-faced Warbler — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see warblers in California
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, warblers are most prominent in October, September and April and least in July and August. 2 of the 44 species are year-round — Orange-crowned Warbler and Common Yellowthroat — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Wilson's Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak May); Yellow Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak September); Yellow-breasted Chat arrives around April and is mostly gone after July (peak May); Hermit Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak May); MacGillivray's Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak June); Hooded Warbler arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak June).
Winter visitors. Yellow-rumped Warbler arrives around October and leaves after April (peak December); Townsend's Warbler arrives around September and leaves after May (peak October); Black-and-white Warbler arrives around September and leaves after February (peak October); Lucy's Warbler arrives around April and leaves after October (peak May); Painted Redstart arrives around September and leaves after March (peak January); Grace's Warbler arrives around September and leaves after March (peak September).
Passage migrants. Black-throated Gray Warbler is reported mainly in April, May, June and August; Nashville Warbler is reported mainly in April, May, June and August; Palm Warbler is reported mainly in January, October and November; American Redstart is reported mainly in June, September and October; Tennessee Warbler is reported mainly in September and October; Chestnut-sided Warbler is reported mainly in September and October.
Attracting warblers to California 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 California 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 California: FAQ
How many species of warblers are there in California?
44 species of warblers have regular eBird records in California (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Yellow-rumped Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Hermit Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Palm Warbler, American Redstart, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern Waterthrush, Painted Redstart, Blackburnian Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Ovenbird, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Canada Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Tropical Parula, Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Golden-winged Warbler and Red-faced Warbler.
What is the most common warbler in California?
The Yellow-rumped Warbler, with 1,053,784 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Orange-crowned Warbler with 466,763. It is a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in December.
When is the best time to see warblers in California?
October, September and April, when the combined share of California eBird records belonging to warblers is highest. Summer visitors such as the Wilson's Warbler arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler arrive around October.
More birds in California
Warblers in other states
Warblers in California: 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: California 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.