Species
Common yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
A masked yellow warbler of marshes and fields that sings 'witchety-witchety-witchety'.
Photo Cephas (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 11 to 13 cm long
- Weight
- About 9 to 10 g
- Habitat
- Marshes, wet fields, thickets and hedgerows
- Diet
- Insects and spiders
- In Georgia
- Common all year; more numerous in summer
- Voice
- A rolling "witchety-witchety-witchety"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Male
- Olive back; yellow throat; black mask edged with white
- Female
- Olive-brown with a yellow throat and no mask
- Told apart from
- Kentucky warbler, which has yellow spectacles
- Where to look
- Marsh edges and wet thickets
Behaviour
Common yellowthroats stay low in dense vegetation and pop up to sing.
Why they matter
Common yellowthroats are among the most widespread warblers in North America and one of the most common in Georgia's marshes.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A cup on or near the ground
Eggs — Usually three to five
Incubation — About 12 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Marsh edges and wet thickets support them.
Misconceptions
- Masked birds are bandits. The yellowthroat's mask is a signal to rivals and mates.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Wintering birds present | Present | Arriving | Nesting | Nesting | Second broods | Young fledging | Present | Migrants | Migrants | Wintering birds | Wintering birds |
Where it lives
Recorded in 94 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabama
- Alaskabreeding
- Arizona
- Arkansasbreeding
- California
- Coloradobreeding
- Connecticutbreeding
- Delawarebreeding
- District of Columbiabreeding
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idahobreeding
- Illinoisbreeding
- Indianabreeding
- Iowabreeding
- Kansasbreeding
- Kentuckybreeding
- Louisiana
- Mainebreeding
- Marylandbreeding
- Massachusettsbreeding
- Michiganbreeding
- Minnesotabreeding
- Mississippi
- Missouribreeding
- Montanabreeding
- Nebraskabreeding
- Nevadabreeding
- New Hampshirebreeding
- New Jerseybreeding
- New Mexicobreeding
- New Yorkbreeding
- North Carolinabreeding
- North Dakotabreeding
- Ohiobreeding
- Oklahomabreeding
- Oregonbreeding
- Pennsylvaniabreeding
- Rhode Islandbreeding
- South Carolina
- South Dakotabreeding
- Tennesseebreeding
- Texas
- Utahbreeding
- Vermontbreeding
- Virginiabreeding
- Washingtonbreeding
- West Virginiabreeding
- Wisconsinbreeding
- Wyomingbreeding
Canada
Mexico
- Aguascalientesbreeding
- Baja California
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Chihuahua
- Coahuila
- Colimain winter
- Durango
- Guanajuato
- Guerreroin winter
- Hidalgoin winter
- Jalisco
- Mexico City
- Michoacan
- Morelosin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosiin winter
- Sinaloa
- Sonora
- State of Mexico
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Tlaxcalain winter
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
- Zacatecaspassing through
If you found one
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