Common Yellowthroat Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Common Yellowthroats are small songbirds with chunky, rounded heads and medium-length, slightly rounded tails.

  Relative Size

  Smaller than a Yellow-breasted Chat; larger than a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 4.3-5.1 in (11-13 cm)
    • Weight: 0.3-0.3 oz (9-10 g)
    • Wingspan: 5.9-7.5 in (15-19 cm)

• Color Pattern

  Adult males are bright yellow below, with a sharp black face mask and olive upperparts. A thin whitish line sets off the black mask from the head and neck. Immature males show traces of the full mask of adult males. Females are a plain olive brown, usually with yellow brightening the throat and under the tail. They lack the black mask.

• Behavior

  Common Yellowthroats spend much of their time skulking low to the ground in dense thickets and fields, searching for small insects and spiders. Males sing a very distinctive, rolling wichety-wichety-wichety song, and both sexes give a full-sounding chuck note that is easy to learn. During migration, this is often the most common warbler found in fields and edges. It sometimes joins other warbler species in mixed foraging flocks.

• Habitat

  Yellowthroats live in open areas with thick, low vegetation, ranging from marsh to grassland to open pine forest. During migration, they use an even broader suite of habitats including backyards and forest.