14 Types of Yellow Birds With Pictures

A bright yellow bird at a feeder is likely to get your attention. They stand out against the backdrop of any summer or winter landscape and bring joy to your garden. If you need help identifying your backyard visitor, check out these 14 Yellow Bird Species, including pictures, a description of each bird and its location. Most of the birds on this list are from North America, but you can find some of these species all over the world. let’s start!

yellow warbler

The yellow warbler is a New World warbler and the most widespread species of warbler in the Americas. They embody exactly what it means to be a yellow bird, combining their creamy yellow plumage with sweet whistling tunes during the summer. Males also have maroon stripes on their chest and black stripes on their wings. The yellow warbler breeds in Canada and most of the United States and winters in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. These birds feed on insects and won’t go to the backyard to feed, but you can find them in regenerating habitats under bushes and next to streams.

american goldfinch

We couldn’t list yellow birds without mentioning the American Goldfinch. These small North American finches undergo a complete molt, in which the males are bright yellow in summer and olive in winter. They also have black caps and black wings with white markings. Females are dull yellow-brown. Populations in the northern United States remain in their environment year-round. But those that breed in southern Canada migrate to the southern United States and Mexico for the winter. You can find this bird in overgrown fields, open floodplains, and weedy areas.

Western Yellow Wagtail

The western yellow wagtail is a small passerine species native to Europe, Asia and Africa. They are slender birds with long wagging tails, and their plumage is olive above and yellow below. Their head color varies by subspecies. These birds breed in Europe and Western Asia and migrate south to Africa and South Asia during the winter. Wagtails love wet meadows, muddy lakeshores, and marshes.

western tanager

The western tanager is a medium-sized flame-coloured American songbird. Despite its name, the tanager, this species actually belongs to the main family, despite its resemblance to the tanager. Adult males have a bright red face, yellow nape, shoulders, and rump, and black back, wings, and tail. Females have yellow heads, olive backs and black wings and tails. Western tanagers breed in the western United States and Canada and winter in Mexico and Central America. You can find them in coniferous and aspen forests.

Acoustic Warbler

If you live in the southeastern United States, you can witness the acoustic warbler flying over its dark forest habitat. They are small songbirds of the New World warbler family and the only species in their genus. These birds have orange-yellow heads, yellow bellies, olive backs, and blue-gray wings and tails. Females are similar in appearance, but have a dull yellow head. Acoustic warblers breed in the Southeast and overwinter in Mexico, Central America, and the northern tip of South America. Their preferred habitats include flooded lowland forests and wooded swamps.

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Eurasian orioles are Old World passerines of the northern hemisphere. They are numerous and widely distributed, breeding in Europe and the paleoarctic regions, and overwintering in central and southern Africa. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, including forests, plantations, orchards, and gardens. Males are contrasted by bright yellow bodies and heads, black wings and tails, and small eye patches. Females are dull green above and white below.

prairie warbler

Contrary to its name, the prairie warbler is not a prairie resident. These small songbirds inhabit shrubby secondary forests and weedy pastures. They breed in the southeastern United States, migrate through the Gulf of Mexico, and winter in the Caribbean. South Florida also has a year-round population. The prairie warbler has complex plumage with a bright yellow underside, dense dark stripes, black eyeliner, and a sorrel patch on the back.

yellow-headed blackbird

Its name sums it up perfectly, the yellow-headed blackbird is a medium-sized black bird with a golden head. The male has a bright yellow head and breast, a black body, and white patches on the wings. Females have brown plumage and a dull yellow head. They spend summers in Midwestern Canada and the United States, and winters in the Southwest and Mexico. The best places to see these blackbirds are savannahs, alpine meadows and swampy wetlands.

Weaving corner

The cloak weaver is a stocky passerine native to southern Africa. This species is endemic to South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho, where it lives in open grasslands, coastal scrub and farmland. Breeding males have a yellow head and underparts, orange face, and olive-brown upperparts. The female has an olive-yellow head and breast, with a yellowish belly. This species is relatively gregarious and can be found in flocks outside of the breeding season, and they form communal habitats year-round.

Eastern and Western Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit is a group of grassland birds native to the Americas, mainly South America. You can find eastern meadowlarks from the eastern United States to northern South America, while western meadowlarks inhabit the western and central United States. They both inhabit grasslands, grasslands, pastures, and abandoned fields. The eastern species has a yellow lower body with a black “V” on the chest and a brown upper body with black stripes. The western species look almost identical except they have lighter plumage and thinner black stripes.

yellow throat diphtheria

The yellow-throated green-throated warbler is a small songbird native to North and South America. One of the most colorful members of the vireo family, they have a yellow throat, olive head, white belly, and brownish-gray back and wings. They also have black irises surrounded by bright yellow rings that look like glasses. You can find this species in the eastern half of the United States, Mexico, and Central America in summer, and the northern tip of South America in winter.

golden pheasant

Also known as Chinese pheasants, these wild birds are native to the mountainous forests of western China. However, wild populations exist in many countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, and several others. You’ll often find them in dense forests, but they forage in groups near human settlements during the winter. Golden pheasants are brightly colored with a mix of reds, blues, greens, oranges and yellows. Their names are derived from the golden crowns on their heads.

western kingfisher

Western kingbirds are large tyrant flycatchers with more subtle plumage than other birds on this list. They have a gray head, white throat and chest, brown wings and tail, and a lemon yellow belly. The species breeds in the western half of the United States and overwinters off the coast of Mexico, Central America, and southern Florida. Their preferred habitats include grasslands, desert scrub, pastures, fields, and savannas.

common yellow throat

The common yellow-throated throat has a distinctive black stripe over its eyes and is unmistakable in its wetland habitat. These New World warblers, also known as yellow bandits, have bright yellow feathers on their throats and breasts. They also have white lines on their heads and olive-brown upper bodies. They breed in Canada and the United States and overwinter in Mexico and Central America. Some populations live year-round in California and the Southeast. Look for them in many habitats, such as wetlands, grasslands, forests, and scrublands.

dick cissel

The dickcissel is a small, thick bunting native to the prairies of North America. They have large thick bills and short tails, yellow faces and chests. Their heads and backs are brown and gray, and their shoulders are reddish brown. Their throats have a distinctive black “V” shape. You can find them in the prairies and restored grasslands of the central United States in summer, and in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America in winter.

IAN WARKENTIN

I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.

Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.