About Setophaga discolor (Vieillot, 1809)
Description: These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks along the flanks. Breeding males have olive green backs with chestnut or rufous streaks. Two distinct black stripes mark their heads: one runs through the eye, and a second runs from the beak down the throat. This semicircular stripe pattern gives the birds a distinctive "tired" appearance. They have two faint wing bars, tails with large white patches, and dark legs. Females and immature birds have duller overall coloration, with streaks that are fainter or completely absent. The subspecies S. d. paludicola is also duller across its entire body compared to the nominate subspecies.
Distribution: The full breeding range of the nominate subspecies S. d. discolor covers most of the eastern United States, with the highest population density found in the American southeast. Isolated populations of this subspecies have been recorded as far west as Kansas, Iowa, and Michigan, and as far north as Ontario and New Brunswick, Canada. The winter range of S. d. discolor includes southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, the eastern coast of Mexico, and the Pacific coast of Central America extending south to Honduras. The subspecies S. d. paludicola lives year-round along the coasts of Florida.
