Taxonomy/Description 

Common Yellowthroats are small songbirds with plain olive green backs, wings, and tails.  They have a yellow throat and upper chest.  Males have whitish bellies, dusky flanks, and bright yellow undertail coverts.  Males also have a broad black mask from the side of the neck to the auricular area and from the eye to the forehead.  A whitish/grayish line above the black mask separates it from an olive crown.  Females have olive faces and their underparts are paler.  They also have an indistinct eyering and may occasionally have a faint black mask.  Immature males resemble the adult females.  Common Yellowthroats are generally 4.5-5.5 inches long.

Habitat/Diet

Common Yellowthroats live in thick vegetation mainly near or in wetlands but this warbler is also found in prairies and pine forests where they are frequently found near water.  They breed throughout the continental United States and in parts of all Canadian provinces which makes them one of the most widespread warbler species in North America.  They winter in Mexico and the Caribbean where they spend their time in similar wet habitats. The diet of the Common Yellowthroat consists of insects and spiders which is occasionally supplemented with seeds. 

Behavior/Reproduction  

Common Yellowthroats can be seen moving by hopping among branches low in shrubs and small trees. On breeding grounds, they are active from sunrise to sunset, with peak activity in the morning and evening.  On wintering grounds, they are most active in the late morning and late evening.  Interactions between males include rapid chases, sometimes followed by wing- or tail-flicking and grappling with the intruder to remove them from their territory. 

Common Yellowthroats are monogamous within a breeding season.  Females perform a copulation solicitation display in which they flutter their wings and give a rapid series of chipping notes.  Females choose nest sites and build the nests.  Nests are usually on or near the ground in vegetation to conceal the nest and protect it from the sun.  They are cup-shaped and made from plant materials.  A clutch usually contains four eggs and one egg is laid per day until the clutch is complete. The female incubates the clutch for 12 days. Chicks are born altricial and hatch at various times during a day then both parents feed the chicks. The chicks are ready to leave the nest after 10 days.

Where to see them in WNY

 The Common Yellowthroat is common and widespread through out WNY during the summer and can be found anywhere where there is plenty of water and thick bushes.