Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
At a Glance
Abundant and well-known, the Common Yellowthroat has succeeded by being a nonconformist. As the only one of our warblers that will nest in open marshes, it is found in practically every reed-bed and patch of cattails from coast to coast. Although it sometimes hides in the marsh, its low rough call note will reveal its presence. The male often perches atop a tall stalk to rap out his distinctive song, wichity-wichity-wichity.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds, Wood Warblers
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Forests and Woodlands, Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers, Saltwater Wetlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Flitter
Population
77.000.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Migrates mostly at night. In many areas, migration is spread over a long period in both spring and fall.
Description
Sexes similar — Length: 4.3 - 5.1 in (11 - 13 cm); wingspan: 5.9 - 7.5 in (15 - 19 cm); weight: 0.3 - 0.4 oz (9 - 11 g). Male's bandit mask contrasts with its yellow throat and is set off above by a paler stripe. Female Common Yellowthroat is plainer and can be confusing. It shows contrast between its yellow throat and darker face; olive above with plain wings. Habitat and calls can be a good cue for this species.
Size
About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, Green, White, Yellow
Wing Shape
Rounded
Tail Shape
Rounded, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
Loud, fast witchity-witchity-witchity-witchity-wit or which-is-it, which-is-it, which-is-it. Call a sharp chip.
Call Pattern
Flat, Undulating
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Warble, Whistle
Habitat
Swamps, marshes, wet thickets, edges. Breeds most abundantly in marshes and other very wet habitats with dense low growth. Common Yellowthroat also nests in briars, moist brushy places, tangles of rank weeds and shrubbery along streams, and overgrown fields, but is generally scarce in drier places. In migration and winter, still most common in marshes, but also occurs in any kind of brushy or wooded area.
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Behavior
Eggs
The Common Yellowthroat usually lays 3-5 eggs, sometimes 6. Eggs are a creamy white with brown and black spots. Incubation is by female only, 12 days. The male feeds the female on the nest during incubation. Very commonly parasitized by cowbirds.
Young
Fed by both parents. Leave the nest after 8-10 days. Normally 2 broods per year. Young are dependent on parents for a considerable period, longer than most other warblers.
Feeding Behavior
Forages in marsh and among other dense low growth, searching for insects on surface of plants, sometimes hovering briefly to take insects from foliage. Occasionally a Common Yellowthroat will make a short flight to catch insects in mid-air, and sometimes it will forage on ground.
Diet
The Common Yellowthroat eats mostly insects. These insects include small grasshoppers, dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, beetles, grubs, cankerworms and other caterpillars, moths, flies, ants, aphids, leafhoppers, and others; also eats spiders, and a few seeds.
Nesting
The male Common Yellowthroat displays to the female during courtship by flicking wings and tail, following her closely, and performing a flight display: flying up to 25-100 ft in the air and returning to another low perch, calling and singing. Nest: Prefers to nest low (less than 3 ft up) on tussocks of briars, weeds, grasses, or shrubs, and among cattails, bulrushes, sedges in marshes. Bulky open cup built by female, sometimes with a partial roof of material loosely attached to the rim. Made of weeds, grass stems, sedges, dead leaves, bark, and ferns; lined with fine grass, bark fibers, and hair.
Conservation
Conservation Status
The Common Yellowthroat has undoubtedly declined in many regions with the draining of marshes, and perhaps also in some areas where good habitat still exists. Despite this, it is still widespread and very common.
Climate Threats Facing the Common Yellowthroat
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
