Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

The Common Yellowthroat is a small, cheerful bird with a bright yellow belly and a black mask. They love to hop around in bushes and wetlands, singing their sweet songs.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Common Yellowthroat is a small, stocky warbler with olive-green upperparts and bright yellow underparts. Males are easily identified by their striking black 'highwayman's mask' across the eyes, outlined by a crisp white stripe above.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderPasseriformesFamilyParulidaeGenusGeothlypis

Common Yellowthroat

Interesting facts

Despite being common, they are surprisingly hard to spot, often staying hidden in dense plants!

Female yellowthroats are expert architects, building cup-shaped nests low to the ground!

Their song, 'witchity-witchity-witch', is one of North America's most recognizable bird calls!

These tiny birds play a giant role, eating thousands of pesky insects every single year!

Special abilities

Common Yellowthroats can sing their unique 'witchity' song while hidden deep in dense shrubs, making them hard to spot.

Common Yellowthroats can quickly snatch hidden insects from dense foliage, using their keen eyesight and agility to find food.

Common Yellowthroats can migrate thousands of kilometers twice a year, guided by Earth's magnetic field.

Measurements & details

Length: 11-13 cm
Wingspan: 15-19 cm
Weight: 0.008-0.015 kg
Lifespan: 2-8 years
Top Speed: 45 km/h
Clutch Size: 3-5
Incubation: 10-12 days
Migration Distance: 5000 km

Diet & Feeding

These little insectivores are bug-eating machines, helping control pests in their wetland homes!

Primary Foods

caterpillars
beetles
flies
spiders
aphids
grasshoppers

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eats

Old World Swallowtail

Papilio machaon

eats caterpillars from a variety of plants

eaten by

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

hunted by small raptors while foraging or migrating

depends on

Broadleaf Cattail

Typha latifolia

uses dense wetland plants for nesting and cover

parasitizes

Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

often has its nest taken over by another bird species

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Singing

Singing animals produce complex vocalizations, often for purposes of attracting mates, defending territory, or communicating within their species.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.