Common Yellowthroat

Pastures Yellowthroat ( Geothlypis trichas )

The pastures Yellowthroat ( Geothlypis trichas ) is a passerine bird of the family of warblers ( Parulidae ).

Description

The male has a black face, which is bordered above with a white and gray stripes, and a yellow throat area. The underside is white to brownish plumage, the plumage olive green top page. In the thirteen subspecies, the face mask, the throat area and the underside plumage differs only slightly in the male. In the south-western species the underside plumage brighter and the throat area is yellow. In females, the black face mask is missing.

Behavior

Pastures Yellowthroat feed mainly on insects, which they track down in the dense vegetation. Occasionally, seeds are added.

The pastures Yellowthroat breeds from April to June. The female lays in a cup-shaped nest, which is applied in the dense vegetation, three to five white to off- white brown or schwarzgefleckte eggs. Both parents participate in rearing the chicks that hatch in about twelve days. After another eight days the young birds leave the nest. A common breeding parasites of Weidengelbkehlchens is the brown -headed cowbird ( Molothrus ater).

Pastures Yellowthroat nest among others, marshes, meadows, and other wet habitats with a dense low vegetation in North America, from Alaska through Canada to central Mexico. In winter they move to Central America and occur as a rare guest in Western Europe. In some regions it came to local population declines by destroying their habitats. Pastures Yellowthroat, however, are generally to be found still numerous.

Subspecies

  • Geothlypis trichas arizela
  • Geothlypis trichas campicola
  • Geothlypis trichas chapalensis
  • Geothlypis trichas chryseola
  • Geothlypis trichas ignota
  • Geothlypis trichas insperata
  • Geothlypis trichas modesta
  • Geothlypis trichas melanops
  • Geothlypis trichas occidentalis
  • Geothlypis trichas riparia
  • Geothlypis trichas scirpicola
  • Geothlypis trichas sinuosa
  • Geothlypis trichas trichas
  • Geothlypis trichas typhicola
Genus Middle America (region)
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