Warblers, Sparrows, Finches & Blackbirds
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
A small, energetic warbler of marshes and wet thickets. The male wears a black mask like a little bandit.
How to identify it
- Male: black face mask bordered with white
- Bright yellow throat and breast
- Olive-brown back
- Female: no mask, with a yellow throat
- Song: "witchety-witchety-witchety"
SizeAbout the size of a Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Chickadee4 in
Common Yellowthroat5 in
Song Sparrow6 in
American Robin10 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 4.5–5 in long; wingspan 6–7.5 in
- Weight
- about 0.3 oz
- Habitat
- Marshes, wet meadows, thickets and overgrown fields
- When to see it
- Summer across most of the US; year-round along the southern coasts
- Diet
- Insects and spiders
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Eats insects and spiders gleaned from low vegetation.
Nesting
A bulky cup of grass and leaves on or near the ground in dense cover.
- Clutch
- 3–5 eggs
- Incubation
- about 12 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 8–10 days
- Broods
- 1–2 per year
Behavior
Skulks low in marsh plants and tangles. Males sing from exposed perches.
Conservation
Abundant but declining slowly.
Cool facts
- It was one of the first birds from the New World described scientifically, in 1766.
- Females prefer males with larger black masks.
- Its song varies by region, so birds from different areas sound different.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Common Yellowthroat
▶Video coming soon
