Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica)

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A Field Guide to Warblers of North America (The Peterson Field Guide Series). by Kimball L. Garrett, Jon L. Dunn, Cindy House (Illustrator)

Warblers of Eastern North America

Color Photograph: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

Recording by John R. Sauer, U.S. Geological Survey

Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica)

Identification: 4.5 inches from tip of bill to tip of tail.

Breeding Male: Easily recognized by the blue-gray color of the back, the yellow throat, the white band over the eye, and the black mask around the eye. The belly is white, streaked with black and contrasts sharply with the yellow throat. Wing bars are present.

Female: Similar to the breeding male.

Fall Male and Female: Similar to the breeding male.

Immature: Similar to the breeding male.

Similar Species: There are no similar species in the eastern United States. The only similar species in North America, Grace's Warbler, is found in the southwestern United States, well outside the range of the Yellow-throated Warbler.

Breeding Range (see map below):  The Yellow-throated Warbler is primarily a species of the southern and central-eastern United States. The species breeds as far north as Pennsylvania and extends westward to Texas and eastern Oklahoma.

Overwintering Range: American tropics.

Habitat: The Yellow-throated Warbler is most commonly found high in pines, sycamores, and oaks.

Food: Insects.

Behavior: The song is a series of clear, bell-like notes descending in pitch and rising in speed. The song terminates abruptly with a rise. The bird often creeps over the branches of the tree trunks like a Black-and-White Warbler.

Reproduction: The nest is constructed of grass and strips of bark lined with hair and feathers. The nest is sited most commonly among the needles of pine trees. Clutch size is between 3 and 5 greenish eggs with purple spots. Incubation takes about 12 days.

Notes: The Yellow-throated Warbler is one of the wonderful warblers that looks the same despite sex or time of year.