You can tell breeding season is upon us when the male Yellow-rumped Warblers shed their tawny tones and take on that small, dark, and handsome appearance.

Here’s a throwback photo of what they look like when they first arrive in the fall…

…and here is what they are looking like now, as they vie for the attention of the fair maidens.

Their change is pretty drastic, to the point that I often think there is a new warbler in the backyard before I realize it is an old warbler dressed in new feathers!

Honestly, I think they are beautiful in their browns AND in their blacks…

…as long as they keep their buttery butts!