Common Yellowthroat Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesCommon Yellowthroat
Adult male
Small songbird with a round belly and long tail. Males have a black mask and a yellow throat and undertail coverts.
© Ryan Sanderson / Macaulay LibraryIndiana, June 20, 2020Female
Females are brownish above with a yellow throat and breast. The brightness of yellow varies geographically.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, October 19, 2016Immature male
The black mask on immature males is faint and patchy.
© Greg Gillson / Macaulay LibraryOregon, August 17, 2011Immature female
Immature females are pale brownish overall with yellow only on the undertail coverts.
© Matt Davis / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 04, 2016Adult male (chapalensis)
Resident males around Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico have a larger black mask that is bordered by yellow instead of white like Common Yellowthroats farther north.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryJalisco, May 24, 2015Adult male
Small songbird with a round belly and long tail. Males have a black mask bordered by white and a yellow throat and undertail coverts.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, June 08, 2013Female
Females are brownish above with a yellow throat and undertail coverts, the intensity of which varies geographically.
© Davey Walters / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, August 18, 2016Adult male
Found in open areas with thick, low vegetation, ranging from marshes to grasslands to open pine forests.
© Zoe Finney / Macaulay LibraryWisconsin, May 22, 2017Female
Spends much of their time skulking low to the ground in dense thickets and fields where they can be difficult to see.
© Tim Lenz / Macaulay LibraryNew York, September 26, 2015Similar SpeciesNashville Warbler
Female/immature
Female/immature Nashville Warblers have a grayer head and back and a yellower belly than female/immature Common Yellowthroats.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, October 26, 2010Similar SpeciesMourning Warbler
Adult female/immature male
Female/immature male Mourning Warblers have a grayer head and a yellower belly than female/immature Common Yellowthroats.
© John King / Macaulay LibraryOntario, July 14, 2017Similar SpeciesOrange-crowned Warbler
Adult
Orange-crowned Warblers have a thinner and pointer bill Common Yellowthroat. Orange-crowned Warblers vary across their range, but tend not to have a darker cheek like female/immature Common Yellowthroats.
© Matt Brady / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, February 26, 2012Similar SpeciesHooded Warbler
Female/immature
Female/immature Hooded Warblers are brighter yellow overall than female/immature Common Yellowthroats.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, September 17, 2011Similar SpeciesYellow Warbler
Adult female (Northern)
Female Yellow Warblers are brighter yellow overall than Common Yellowthroats.
© Terry Boswell / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, June 04, 2017Similar SpeciesWilson's Warbler
Female/immature
Female/immature Wilson's Warblers are smaller and brighter yellow than Common Yellowthroats.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, September 10, 2013Similar SpeciesYellow-breasted Chat
Adult
Yellow-breasted Chats are larger than Common Yellowthroats and have white (not yellow) undertail coverts. They also lack the yellowthroat's mask.
© Brooke Miller / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 16, 2014Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
New World Warblers(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Parulidae)
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