Warblers, Sparrows, Finches & Blackbirds
Yellow-throated Warbler
Setophaga dominica
A gray-and-white warbler with a bright yellow throat that forages high in pines, sycamores and moss-draped live oaks.
How to identify it
- Bright yellow throat
- Black-and-white face pattern with a white eyebrow
- Gray back and white belly
- Black streaks along the sides
SizeAbout the size of a Song Sparrow
Carolina Chickadee4 in
Yellow-throated Warbler5 in
Song Sparrow6 in
American Robin10 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 5–5.5 in long; wingspan 8–8.5 in
- Weight
- about 0.3 oz
- Habitat
- Pine forests, river sycamores, live oaks with Spanish moss
- When to see it
- Summer across the Southeast; year-round in Florida and along the southern coast
- Diet
- Insects and spiders
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Creeps along branches like a nuthatch, probing bark, pinecones and Spanish moss for insects.
Nesting
A cup high in a pine or sycamore, often tucked into Spanish moss.
- Clutch
- 4 eggs
- Incubation
- 12–13 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 10–12 days
- Broods
- 1–2 per year
Behavior
Feeds high in trees and is often heard before it's seen.
Conservation
Common and slowly expanding its range northward.
Cool facts
- Its long bill helps it probe pinecones and bark crevices.
- In the South it often nests inside clumps of Spanish moss.
- It's one of the earliest warblers to arrive in spring.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Yellow-throated Warbler
▶Video coming soon
