Minnesota Seasons - Common Yellowthroat

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy

Conservation Status

Photo by Lynn Rubey

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNRB - Unranked Breeding

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Size

Total length: 5″

Wingspan: 7″

Voice

The song is a loud, clear, witchety witchety witchety witch.

Similar Species

Habitat

Wetlands, especially cattail marshes, but also sedge meadows, wet meadows, and wet forests

Ecology

Migration

Late April to mid-October

Nesting

Food

Adult insects, insect larvae, and occasionally seeds

Distribution

Occurrence

Common to abundant migrant and breeder

Maps

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

Taxonomy

Class

Aves (birds)

Order

Passeriformes (perching birds)

Family

Parulidae (New World warblers)

Genus

Geothlypis (yellowthroats and allies)

Subordinate Taxa

Athens Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas typhicola)

Brownsville Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas insperata)

Chapala Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas chapalensis)

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas melanops)

Eastern Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas trichas)

Florida Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas ignota)

Northern Plains Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas campicola)

Pacific Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas arizela)

Salt-marsh Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas sinuosa)

San Blas Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas modesta)

Sonora Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas chryseola)

Tule Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas scirpicola)

Western Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas occidentalis)

Synonyms

Turdus spec

Turdus trichas

Visitor Photos

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Ramona Abrego

Lynn Rubey
A male Common Yellowthroat along the Minnesota River in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge often hiding in the shrubs before coming out to perch.

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Camera

Slideshows

Common Yellowthroat
Allen Chartier

Common Yellowthroat
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Common Yellowthroat
JMC Nature Photos

Common Yellowthroat
Craig A. Mullenbach

slideshow

Visitor Videos

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Visitor Sightings

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Mike Stavreff
5/15/2021

Location: Oakdale, MN

Hello - my first time doing this, as I have become a "birder" during Covid. I was just on your website.

I am 99.9% sure that I saw a Common Yellow Throat in my backyard, and I searched all the books that I own, but the black and white on its head is pretty distinct. I can't see it being anything else. It was flitting around in oak leaves and on small brush. We live in Oakdale, MN, and we have about 3-4 acres of oak trees and brush behind us, with a marsh about 100yards way.

Lynn Rubey
6/19/2019