Tony Pratt

Common Yellowthoat

Filed Under Songbirds, summer

I had a hard time figuring out what this bird is but, after consulting with a friend, it is determined to be a Common Yellowthroat.  Despite its name it is not very commonly seen.  According to The Sibley Guide to Birds it is a “ubiquitous, rather secretive denizon of marshy or brushy vegetation near water”.  It is related “to warblers but is smaller and stockier and usually lacks yellow on its belly.”  Now we know.