The Common Yellowthroat is a small songbird that can be found throughout much of North America. Identifying this species by sight or sound can be tricky for beginning birders, but with some key tips, you’ll be spotting Common Yellowthroats in no time.
What does the Common Yellowthroat look like?
The most distinctive feature of the Common Yellowthroat is the bright yellow throat and chest on the males. The females lack this bright yellow coloring and are more olive-brown above with a pale yellowish chest and belly.
Other key identification features include:
- Size: 4.5-5 inches long with a wingspan of 6-7 inches
- Shape: Round head and short bill give it a large-headed appearance
- Color pattern: Olive-brown back with yellow underparts on males, olive-gray on females. Male’s black mask contrasts with bright yellow throat.
- Behavior: Skulks low in vegetation, nervously flicking tail.
The yellowthroat’s olive-brown back and wings help it blend into its habitat. When it flushes, the best field mark to note is the male’s distinct black facial mask bordered below by brilliant yellow throat and breast. The female is duller but shows the same general patterns.
In flight, look for white wing bars and white outer tail feathers that are visible when the tail is fanned. The Common Yellowthroat has a weak flight close to the ground. Its profile in flight appears large headed with a short neck and bill.
Where do you find the Common Yellowthroat?
The Common Yellowthroat breeds across the United States and Canada in brushy, wet areas with dense, low vegetation. Some key habitats to find them include:
- Marshes and swamps
- Bushy fields
- Forest edges
- Overgrown ditches and stream banks
- Hedgerows
- Young second-growth woods
They prefer wetter areas with dense ground cover rather than open fields. During migration and winter they can be found in similar brushy habitats along the coasts, swamps, and woodland edges across their range.
Look and listen for them close to the ground skulking in shrubs and low vegetation, often near water. They emerge to the top of bushes and small trees to sing but quickly dive back under cover.
What does the Common Yellowthroat sound like?
The Common Yellowthroat’s song is an explosive series of “wichety” notes. It often gets described as sounding like “witchity witchity witchity.”
Other distinctive vocalizations include a sharp, metallic “chak” call note and a scolding “chat” sound. The male sings persistently from early spring through summer and into fall migration. Listen for the song coming from dense shrubbery.
Here is a recording of the Common Yellowthroat’s song and calls:
As you learn the vocalizations, you’ll find their songs and calls can alert you to their presence before you even see them. Pishing or squeaking can sometimes bring them into view.
When and where do you see the Common Yellowthroat?
The peak viewing times for Common Yellowthroats depends on where you live within their breeding range:
- In the southern parts of their range (the southern U.S. and into Mexico), they can be found year-round.
- Farther north, they return to their breeding grounds by early spring. Look for spring migrants arriving in March-April.
- They breed across the U.S. and southern Canada during the summer months of May-July.
- Fall migration occurs September-October as they retreat from northern areas to return to the southern U.S. and into Central America for winter.
During the breeding season, look for them skulking along swamp and marsh edges at dawn when males are most actively singing. Later in the day they retreat to shaded vegetation as the sun gets hotter.
In migration they may turn up in a wider variety of scrubby habitat, sometimes in small loose flocks. They remain secretive, keeping hidden in bushes and shrubs.
Behavior and Diet: How does the Common Yellowthroat behave and feed?
Common Yellowthroats stay hidden, behaving more like a warbler than a thrush despite their name. They energetically dart through dense, low vegetation rather than moving to open areas.
Some key aspects of their behavior include:
- Forages close to the ground by gleaning insects and spiders from leaves and branches. They rarely feed higher than 3-4 feet off the ground.
- Frequently cocks and flicks its tail upward.
- Males are strongly territorial during breeding season and sing persistently to defend territories.
- Nests on or very close to the ground hidden in dense vegetation.
Their diet consists predominantly of insects and spiders caught along branches and leaves. They occasionally eat berries and seeds.
How to attract Common Yellowthroats
To increase your chances of sighting Common Yellowthroats, you can try the following tips:
- Look in wet, marshy areas with dense shrubs and small trees like willows.
- Listen for their “witchity” songs in spring and summer.
- Use pishing sounds and squeaking to try to call them into view.
- Avoid mowing edges next to ditches or wetlands to allow dense habitat to grow.
- Let shrubby corners and fence lines overgrow to create the brushy habitat they prefer.
With their inclination to stay deep in cover, seeing Common Yellowthroats often requires patience. But once you learn their vocalizations and preferred habitat, you’re on your way to finding these yellow-throated skulkers.
Common Yellowthroat or other warbler?
The Common Yellowthroat could be confused with a few other warblers that share some identification features:
Common Yellowthroat vs. Hooded Warbler
| Common Yellowthroat | Hooded Warbler |
|---|---|
| Yellow throat/chest | Yellow face |
| No distinct hood | Black hood that contrasts with yellow face |
| Olive-brown back | Greenish upperparts |
| Skulking habits | More active foraging |
| “Witchity” song | Loud, clear “wheeta wheeta” song |
The Hooded Warbler has a striking black hood and mask that contrasts with its bright yellow face. It lacks the yellowthroat’s yellow throat patch. Listen for its loud song.
Common Yellowthroat vs. Wilson’s Warbler
| Common Yellowthroat | Wilson’s Warbler |
|---|---|
| Yellow throat/chest | Yellow cap |
| No strong facial pattern | Black cap contrasting with yellow forehead |
| “Witchity” song | Loud, emphatic “chi-chi-chi” song |
| Skulking habits | Actively forages |
Note the Wilson’s all yellow cap versus the yellowthroat’s colored throat. Listen for its sharp “chi-chi-chi” song. Wilson’s readily pops up into view as it actively feeds.
Common Yellowthroat vs. Northern Parula
| Common Yellowthroat | Northern Parula |
|---|---|
| Yellow throat/chest | Yellow-green patch on back |
| No facial pattern | Black/brown necklace across breast |
| Olive-brown back | Blue-gray back |
| Skulking habits | Moves actively when foraging |
| “Witchity” song | Buzzing “zee zee zee” song |
The Northern Parula shows a colorful patch of yellow-green on its back, not on the throat. It has a distinctive necklace marking and blue-gray upperparts.
Conclusion
Identifying the Common Yellowthroat requires noting key field marks like the male’s bright yellow throat, its habitat preferences for wet brushy areas close to the ground, and listening for its “witchity” song. With practice, birders can readily identify Common Yellowthroats by sight and sound. Learning songs and chip notes is the fastest way to detect this usually hard-to-see warbler. Provide overgrown, wet habitat and you can attract them to your area during spring and summer.
