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 southern half of Canada to Panama. Many of these birds, especially those in the southern end of their range are non-migratory. This has contributed to regional genetic variations, and as many as thirteen subspecies are recognized by science.
The witchety-witchety-witchety song of the Common Yellowthroat and the distinct chuck call of these birds will clue the attentive birder to their presence. Favorite haunts are marshes and wetland edges, but sometimes they will make their homes in dry brushy areas. These birds are rarely found high in the canopy. They’d rather spend their time lurking in low foliage a few feet from the ground.
Unlike many warblers species, the Common Yellowthroat has evolved a defensive strategy for the brood parasitic Brown-Headed Cowbird. If the cowbird lays an egg in its nest, the yellowthroats with either build a new nest on top of the old one, or abandon the nest completely.

Common Yellow-Throat(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 10:03 |
Location:
Community Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X4760-CommonYellowThroat |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.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 Yellow-Throat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: Juveniles waiting mom to deliver groceries 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 Yellow-throat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: (Geothlypis trichas) 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 Yellow-throat(Geothlypis trichas) |
Description: (Geothlypis trichas) 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 Yellow-Throat(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 Yellow-throat(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 tricha) |
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 tricha) |
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 tricha) |
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 tricha) |
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 |

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