West · Central Flyway
Warblers in Colorado
Warblers in Colorado come down to 40 species with regular eBird records, led by the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Together they account for 493,772 of the 16 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 3.0% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, MacGillivray's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Grace's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Canada Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush. 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 Colorado: 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) — 130,762 records, 0.8% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in May.
2. Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) — 127,512 records, 0.8% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to August and peaking in June.
3. Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) — 46,462 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September with a peak in September.
4. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) — 41,734 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in May.
5. Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata) — 33,030 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in May, September and October with a peak in September.
6. Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) — 30,983 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to July and peaking in June.
7. MacGillivray's Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei) — 22,183 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in June.
8. Virginia's Warbler (Leiothlypis virginiae) — 16,556 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to August and peaking in June.
9. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens) — 5,970 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in May.
10. Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) — 5,858 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in August and September with a peak in September.
11. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) — 4,257 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in May, June, August and September with a peak in May.
12. Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) — 4,205 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in May and August with a peak in May.
The remaining 28 species — Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Grace's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Canada Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see warblers in Colorado
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, warblers are most prominent in May, September and June and least in March and February. None of the 40 species is a year-round resident, so the timing below is everything.
Summer visitors. Yellow-rumped Warbler arrives around April and is mostly gone after October (peak May); Yellow Warbler arrives around May and is mostly gone after August (peak June); Common Yellowthroat arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak May); Yellow-breasted Chat arrives around May and is mostly gone after July (peak June); MacGillivray's Warbler arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak June); Virginia's Warbler arrives around May and is mostly gone after August (peak June).
Winter visitors. Yellow-throated Warbler arrives around March and leaves after March (peak March); Cape May Warbler arrives around December and leaves after January (peak December).
Passage migrants. Wilson's Warbler is reported mainly in September; Orange-crowned Warbler is reported mainly in May, September and October; Townsend's Warbler is reported mainly in August and September; American Redstart is reported mainly in May, June, August and September; Northern Waterthrush is reported mainly in May and August; Ovenbird is reported mainly in May and June.
Attracting warblers to Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado: FAQ
How many species of warblers are there in Colorado?
40 species of warblers have regular eBird records in Colorado (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, MacGillivray's Warbler, Virginia's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Grace's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Canada Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush.
What is the most common warbler in Colorado?
The Yellow-rumped Warbler, with 130,762 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Yellow Warbler with 127,512. It is a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in May.
When is the best time to see warblers in Colorado?
May, September and June, when the combined share of Colorado eBird records belonging to warblers is highest. Summer visitors such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Yellow-throated Warbler arrive around March.
More birds in Colorado
Warblers in other states
Warblers in Colorado: 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: Colorado 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.