Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas

The Common Yellowthroat is a bird usually found near waterways or marshes, and one of the few new world warblers who will nest there. They are abundant breeders in North America, ranging from the southern half of Canada to Panama. Many of these birds, especially those at the southern end of their range, are nonmigratory. This has contributed to regional genetic variations. Scientists recognise up to thirteen subspecies:
- G. t. arizela breeds in the Pacific coastal zone from southeast Alaska south to central California. They spend winters in areas from California south to northwest Mexico.
- G. t. sinuosa breeds in central California in the San Francisco Bay Area. They spend winter south of the bay south to San Diego.
- G. t. modesta breeds on the west coast of Mexico from Sonora to Colima.
- G. t. campicola breeds in the interior of northwestern North America from the southern Yukon east to western Ontario (Canada) south to Idaho and Nebraska. They spend winters in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico.
- G. t. occidentalis breeds from eastern Oregon to Kansas, and spends winters in southwest USA, west Mexico, and Guatemala.
- G. t. scirpicola lives in southern California, southeastern Nevada, southwestern Utah, western Arizona, northern Baja California, and northwestern Sonora (Mexico).
- G. t. chryseola breeds in southern Arizona to western Texas and northern Mexico. In winter, they move slightly south of their breeding range.
- G. t. melanops lives in central and southern Mexico.
- G. t. trichas breeds in west-central Ontario east to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia (Canada) and south in the USA to eastern Texas and inland areas of Virginia.
- G. t. typhicola breeds along the coastal belt of northern Florida and Gulf of Mexico. They spend winters around the Gulf coast, south to eastern Mexico.
- G. t. ignota lives along the coastal zones of southeast Louisiana, east to Florida and southeastern South Carolina.
- G. t. insperata lives in the lower Rio Grande Valley south of Brownsville (Texas).
- G. t. chalapensis lives in southwestern Mexico.
Unlike many warbler species, the Common Yellowthroat has developed a defensive strategy for the brood parasitic Brown-Headed Cowbird. If the cowbird lays an egg in its nest, the yellowthroats will either build a new nest on top of the old one, or abandon the nest completely.
I enjoy hearing the witchety-witchety-witchety song of the Common Yellowthroat and the distinct chuck call of these birds whenever I visit marshes and wetland edges. Sometimes they will surprise me and make their homes in dry brushy areas. We rarely find these birds high in the canopy. They’d rather spend their time lurking in low foliage a few feet from the ground.
41 Photos

Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Community Park along Rattlesnake Creek in Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 10:03 |
Location:
Community Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X4760-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: (Geothlypis trichas) Community Park along Rattlesnake Creek in Poway, California. San Diego County USA 2015-01-07. |
Date Taken: 2015:01:07 10:50 |
Location:
Community Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X4797-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Santa Margarita River Trail near Fallbrook, California. North San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:01 8:01 |
Location:
Santa Margarita Trail |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/250 |
File Name: D3X5387-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Santa Margarita River Trail near Fallbrook, California. North San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:01 8:15 |
Location:
Santa Margarita Trail |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/160 |
File Name: D3X5406-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:27 12:54 |
Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X5430-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: A meeting at the Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana USA 2015-05-27. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:27 12:57 |
Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X5438-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: At the Dairy Mart "Stick Pond" in the Tijuana River Valley. San Ysidro, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2015:02:01 10:54 |
Location:
Dairy Mart Ponds |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X6191-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Juveniles awaiting mom's grocery delivery at Moon Lake, near Tok, Alaska and the Alaska Highway. |
Date Taken: 2005:07:01 14:12 |
Location:
Moon Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/6.7, 1/180 |
File Name: JCD7100CommonYellowThroat-Juv |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Singing his witchety-witchety song at the Boulder Oaks Reserve. Ramona, California. San Diego County USA 2008-06-27. |
Date Taken: 2008:06:27 9:58 |
Location:
Boulder Oaks |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD7581CommonYellowThroat |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Flitting among the reeds at Vendel Road. Salton Sea Vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2009-11-27. |
Date Taken: 2009:11:27 11:33 |
Location:
Salton Sea |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: JCD8239.CommonYellowThroat |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Encounter at Vendel Road. Salton Sea Vicinity. Imperial County, California USA 2009-11-27. |
Date Taken: 2009:11:27 11:36 |
Location:
Vendel Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: JCD8241.CommonYellowThroat |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadetree-imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: A bird captured at Dixon Lake. Northern Escondido, San Diego County, California USA 2004-10-06. |
Date Taken: 2004:10:05 16:06 |
Location:
Dixon Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 750 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: JCD_0661CommonYellowThroat |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, (shadetree-Imaging.com) |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: A bird captured at Dixon Lake. Northern Escondido, San Diego County, California USA 2004-10-06. |
Date Taken: 2004:10:06 17:22 |
Location:
Dixon Lake |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: JCD_0806CommonYellowThroat |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, (shadetree-Imaging.com) |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Bicknell Bottoms along the Fremont River in South Central Utah. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:14 8:45 |
Location:
Bicknell Bottoms |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D5X3246-BicknellBottoms |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Bicknell Bottoms along the Fremont River in South Central Utah. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:14 8:45 |
Location:
Bicknell Bottoms |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D5X3236-BicknellBottoms |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Malheur NWR is in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 6:23 |
Location:
Malheur NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D5X8123-MalheurNWR |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Poe Road. Salton Sea. Near Westmoreland in Imperial County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:10:21 10:46 |
Location:
Salton Sea |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X1284-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Lake Hodges. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:08 9:59 |
Location:
Lake Hodges |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X6740-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: San Luis Rey Picnic Ground, west of Lake Henshaw in northern San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:29 7:43 |
Location:
San Luis Rey River |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X8353-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Dairy Mart Ponds in the Tijuana River Valley, in the vicinity of San Ysidro, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:10:29 10:01 |
Location:
Dairy Mart Ponds |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X2611-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Lake Hodges. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2012:08:29 10:07 |
Location:
Lake Hodges |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 |
File Name: D3X8559-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Lake Hodges. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2012:08:29 10:20 |
Location:
Lake Hodges |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X8573-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Lake Hodges. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2012:08:29 10:07 |
Location:
Lake Hodges |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 |
File Name: D3X8562-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Common Yellowthroats foraged near where I spent most of my morning at Ayer's Lake while visiting the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. The day was sunny and the birds were friendly. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:26 8:36 |
Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D5X4803-Boyce-Thompson |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: I met this bird at Resaca de las Palmas in Brownsville, Texas after it was opened to the public a few days before I left Texas on my 2020 expedition. While Gray-Crowned Yellowthroats are present in south Texas, this Common Yellowthroat was what I found here. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:29 10:23 |
Location:
Resaca de las Palmas |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D509137-Resaca-de-las-Palmas |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: I met this bird at Resaca de las Palmas in Brownsville, Texas after it was opened to the public a few days before I left Texas on my 2020 expedition. While Gray-Crowned Yellowthroats are present in south Texas, this Common Yellowthroat was what I found here. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:29 10:23 |
Location:
Resaca de las Palmas |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D509136-Resaca-de-las-Palmas |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Common Yellowthroats foraged near where I spent most of my morning at Ayer's Lake while visiting the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. The day was sunny and the birds were friendly. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:26 8:50 |
Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D5X4964-Boyce-Thompson |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Common Yellowthroats foraged near where I spent most of my morning at Ayer's Lake while visiting the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. The day was sunny and the birds were friendly. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:26 8:35 |
Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: CommonYellowThroat_D5X4794-Boyce-Thompson |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Along the Lower Rio Grande, the yellowthroats you meet are most likely the subspecies called the Brownsville Common Yellowthroat. My early morning visit to Palmito Hill, southeast of Brownsville, began in a heavy fog. By mid-day the weather improved only slightly to overcast skies. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:26 9:29 |
Location:
Palmito Hill |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/250 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4666-PalmitoHill-TX |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Along the Lower Rio Grande, the yellowthroats you meet are most likely the subspecies called the Brownsville Common Yellowthroat. My early morning visit to Palmito Hill, southeast of Brownsville, began in a heavy fog. By mid-day the weather improved only slightly to overcast skies. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:26 9:29 |
Location:
Palmito Hill |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/250 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4658-PalmitoHill-TX |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: There is a small population of resident yellowthroats in south Texas of the subspecies G. t. insperata, but I don’t know if these birds are members. I finally got my chance to visit Santa Ana National Wildlife Reserve this Sunday. I’ve wanted to explore there since my first trip to Texas in the Spring of 2020, but with the global pandemic, it was one of several locations that shut their doors to all visitors while I was here last spring. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:21 11:26 |
Location:
Santa Ana NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4104-SantaAna-NWR |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: There is a small population of resident yellowthroats in south Texas of the subspecies G. t. insperata, but I don’t know if these birds are members. I finally got my chance to visit Santa Ana National Wildlife Reserve this Sunday. I’ve wanted to explore there since my first trip to Texas in the Spring of 2020, but with the global pandemic, it was one of several locations that shut their doors to all visitors while I was here last spring. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:21 11:51 |
Location:
Santa Ana NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4229-SantaAna-NWR |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Common Yellowthroat migrants and residents are both present in south Texas in wintertime. Hunter Lane is at the far side of the park, two miles from the Resaca de la Palma Visitor Center. It is the most reliable place in the reserve to find standing water, and my favorite place to enjoy birds. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:21 13:39 |
Location:
Resaca de la Palma |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4917-ResacaDeLaPalma |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Always a fun bird to meet, is the Common Yellowthroat. Tuesday's all day visit to capture images at the SPI Convention Centre was fruitful. The folks I met were great, and the birds were amazing. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:30 14:50 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X8069-SPI_ConventionCenter |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Always a fun bird to meet, is the Common Yellowthroat. Tuesday's all day visit to capture images at the SPI Convention Centre was fruitful. The folks I met were great, and the birds were amazing. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:30 14:50 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X8073-SPI_ConventionCenter |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: There is a small population of resident yellowthroats in south Texas of the subspecies G. t. insperata, but I don’t know if these birds are members. I finally got my chance to visit Santa Ana National Wildlife Reserve this Sunday. I’ve wanted to explore there since my first trip to Texas in the Spring of 2020, but with the global pandemic, it was one of several locations that shut their doors to all visitors while I was here last spring. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:21 11:51 |
Location:
Santa Ana NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4259-SantaAna-NWR |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Along the Lower Rio Grande, the yellowthroats you meet are most likely the subspecies called the Brownsville Common Yellowthroat. My early morning visit to Palmito Hill, southeast of Brownsville, began in a heavy fog. By mid-day the weather improved only slightly to overcast skies. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:26 9:33 |
Location:
Palmito Hill |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/250 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4683-PalmitoHill-TX |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Yellowthroats are “common” in the marsh, but always fun to meet. Bird activity on Tuesday’s visit to South Padre Island was slightly less hectic than it was on the weekend, but it gave me some great bird encounters, including two birds brand new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:20 18:01 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/750 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X0441SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Yellowthroats are “common” in the marsh, but always fun to meet. Bird activity on Tuesday’s visit to South Padre Island was slightly less hectic than it was on the weekend, but it gave me some great bird encounters, including two birds brand new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:20 18:02 |
Location:
Convention Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X0457SPI_ConventionCtr |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: The habitat out on the marsh near the boardwalk is perfect for these birds. It was a bright Sunday on South Padre Island, and I stayed over 9 hours. I started the morning with an hour at Sheepshead Sanctuary and drove to the Convention Centre for the rest of the day, and met a couple of birds new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:02 9:01 |
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4364_SPI-Sheepshead |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: The habitat out on the marsh near the boardwalk is perfect for these birds. It was a bright Sunday on South Padre Island, and I stayed over 9 hours. I started the morning with an hour at Sheepshead Sanctuary and drove to the Convention Centre for the rest of the day, and met a couple of birds new to me. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:02 9:02 |
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: CommonYellowthroat_D5X4391_SPI-Sheepshead |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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