If you are in Pennsylvania and see wild yellow birds Pennsylvania that you have never seen before, you may want some help identifying what it is.
There are plenty of species of yellow birds in PA, and while they all look different, many have similar behaviors, so what is in your backyard could be one of a handful of species.
Learning to identify these birds can be really rewarding; once you know you will start to notice them more often and will be able to share that knowledge with others.
Yellow birds in PA come in a variety of sizes, shapes and behavior. Some are bright, flashy birds; others are small and easy to miss. Some are permanent residents; others visit once for the winter.
So, you want to easily identify yellow birds in PA? Below are some of the more common yellow birds Pennsylvania:
- Yellow Warbler
- American Goldfinch
- Scarlet Tanager Female
- Common Yellowthroat
- America Redstart Female
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Orchard Oriole Female
- Hooded Warbler
- Magnolia Warbler
- Evening Grossbeak
- Baltimore Oriole
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Yellow-throated Warbler
- Eastern Meadowlark
- White-eyed Vireo
- Prairie Warbler
- Canada Warbler
yellow-warbler
The yellow warbler is a small, common bird that visits the Pennsylvania area in April to breed and then migrate south from April to September.
They live in Pennsylvania, and most of the yellow warblers are small and are patterned with green on their backs. Yellow warbler males have chestnut streaks on the breast, making them look even more beautiful.
Shyer than other birds, Yellow Warblers are more difficult to attract to your backyard. However, if you provide a few suet feeders and oranges at the beginning of summer, you will be rewarded by observing this beautiful warbler as it feeds on caterpillars, midges, beetles, bugs, and wasps.
american-goldfinch
American Goldfinches are small songbirds with short beaks and tails. The females are dull-colored brown while males have bright yellow and black coloring.
Their preferred habitats include gardens, farmlands, grassland areas, shrubs, woodland edges, meadows and wetlands. American goldfinches are found throughout the United States in almost every type of habitat except desert areas.
American Goldfinches are beautiful and easy to attract to your garden. You can spot their bright yellow coloring gliding through the foliage of your backyard.
They will visit most bird feeders and prefer sunflower seed and Nyjer seed. You can also plant thistle, milkweed, and aster plants to entice them to stay longer.
Scarlet-Tanager-Female
Until recently, the bird was thought to be just one kind, but it is often confused by those who see them. The male is intensely scarlet while the female is yellow-green-olive.
Scarlet Tanagers are striking birds that stay high in the forest canopy, making them difficult to spot.
Like most birds, Scarlet Tanagers are dependent on their feathers to keep them warm in the cool weather of spring and fall, but unlike most birds, the male Scarlet Tanager takes full advantage of his bright coloration to attract a mate and defend his territory from competitors.
They can be attracted to your backyard by planting raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, chokeberries, strawberries, serviceberries, juneberries and huckleberries.
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Common Yellowthroat is small, with a long tail, brownish on the back has paler yellow bellies and bright yellow breasts. These songbirds usually arrive in Pennsylvania in April and leave in November.
Common Yellowthroat is an insectivore (insect eater) that eats caterpillars, beetles, moths, grasshoppers, and spiders. It nests in low shrubs or tall grasses near wet areas.
These birds are the first bird you hear their songs each spring and summer, often in marshy or wetland areas and brushy fields living in thick, tangled vegetation. They will also be found in large backyards that have dense vegetation.
America Redstart Female
Catch a glimpse of an American Redstart Female during her nesting period in your area.
America Redstart females are identifiable by their olive-gray feathers with bright yellow patches on their tails, sides, and wing. The males are black and bright orange birds with striking white lower bellies.
They wander from northeastern central states where they breed all over to Canada and the west coast. They breed in both deciduous woodlands and coniferous forests.
Redstart prefers total cover while they are nesting, therefore they will choose thickets of thorny bushes, large trees and small forest openings with dense vegetation.
Nests are bulky and well hidden in the thickest material available. They lay 4 to 6 white eggs with reddish-brown spots.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common throughout the year, Yellow-rumped Warblers are often seen foraging in coniferous trees, sweeping clearings for insects after a rainstorm or hopping on branches probing with their long bills.
Good birders know Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the first spring migrants to arrive in Pennsylvania. These migrants fly across the Gulf of Mexico and may cover over 1,200 miles a day during migration. The fall migration is a different story.
They eat insects and fruit on extended trips away from their breeding sites. Like other warblers, they nest in dense low vegetation and lay three to six eggs. Yellow-rumped Warblers require coniferous trees or tall shrubs for habitat, especially during the winter months.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatchers are a common and widespread bird in Pennsylvania. They breed over much of the state, preferring riparian woodlands as well as mixed woodlands near orchards and berry fields.
Like other flycatchers, Great Crested Flycatchers forage on the wing and catch insects in midair or from leaves. Their nests are well hidden in the dense tangles of deciduous branches.
They eat butterflies, moths, spiders, wasps, grasshoppers and other flying insects. You can attract them to your backyard by planting native plants and leaving anything that will attract insects around. Growing berry-producing plants can also do wonders.
cedar-waxwing-
Cedar waxwings are beautiful social birds with pale brown on their head, crest and chest. There is fades to gray on their back and wings. They have bright yellow color on the wingtips and a narrow black mask over the eyes.
If you love birds and want to attract them to your backyard, the Cedar Waxwing is a great choice. They are colorful, pretty, and fun to watch.
Bring these beautiful birds to your backyard by planting native shrubs and trees that have small fruit, such as serviceberry, winterberry, dogwood, juniper and hawthorn. Putting fruit on platform feeders can also help.
Black-throated Green Warbler
The Black-throated Green Warbler is a common yellow bird in Pennsylvania, especially in summer. They migrate to Pennsylvania as early as April and leave as early as September. Their numbers increase during fall and spring migration.
At the right time of year, if you are lucky enough to be in the right place or have a good enough pair of binoculars, you might spot these lovely warblers!
Black-throated Green Warblers can mostly be seen during their long migration over the Eastern US up to Canada and Northeastern US states. They live high up in forests eating insects.
Orchard Oriole Female
Orchard Orioles appear in Pennsylvania between May and August. These secretive birds live in deciduous woodlands, preferably with oaks and tall trees. During breeding season both the females are quite consistent with their plain greenish-yellow overall. The undersides of the females are typically paler and darker on the back, as well as their wings.
These attractive songbirds’ habitat is open woodland, open shrubland, farms, riverbanks and backyards. They feed on spiders, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants and beetles. They also eat chokeberries, mulberries and drink nectar from flowers.
If you love to have Orchard Oriole in your backyard, try platform feeders or hummingbird feeders with cut mango and oranges. Plants such as chokeberries or mulberries can also attract them.
Hooded Warbler
Birdwatchers have been amazed by the bright yellow face of Hooded Warblers. The distinctive black hood and throat are easy to see in a bird with olive-green above and yellow underneath. The song is an energetic “peerleee-chu” or “squeulous” series of notes.
They are in Pennsylvania for only about 6 months between April and October, but during that time, they will make several appearances in your backyard.
They love hunting for insects in the forest with dense understories.
Magnolia_warbler
Magnolia Warblers are very common during migration; however, many birders tend to overlook them. They are often spotted on low branches, making it easier to spot them than other warblers on the easy-to-spot list. Unlike other warblers, males and females look alike.
Put a magnolia warbler on your shoulder and take a walk in the woods. In spring and fall, thousands of these small birds stop by Pennsylvania to rest and refuel during their north-south migration.
Evening-Grossbeak
The Evening Grosbeak is a large finch with a striking yellow body plumage and attractive bright yellow eyebrow. This bird is extremely attractive due to its showy yellow feathers. It features a black mask, with light gray cheeks and neck, and a black crown.
Even though this bird looks fluffy and delicate in appearance, it is a quite hardy bird species that can live in harsher climates if the conditions are right. And with its sheer beauty, it is easy to see why you would want one of these birds as a pet.
During courtship, both male and female birds will perch on a high tree branch, spreading and ruffling their feathers.
baltimore oriole
The Baltimore oriole’s delicious bright orangey-yellow color is seen at the front of their body, unlike most blackbirds which are dull gray. Black wings and a black, white, and orange bill make this bird extremely conspicuous.
Males of this species have an upward-turned bill to hold the nectar found in flowers.
When Baltimore oriole males visit your yard, they will find a welcoming habitat in the Birdhouse.
Black-throated Green Warbler
If you live in PA or eastern North-East North America during summer, the warbler eating habitat is likely to have Black-throated Green Warblers using them. They are small birds at 5 inches with olive-tinged backs and bright yellow heads and throats.
They will be fairly distinctive during the morning, as they will be hovering over the eating area to catch insects like Tiger moths and Dobson flies.
The Black-throated Green Warbler is a common spring migrant songbird to PA. They are abundant in the state, though easily missed if you are not paying close attention.
Yellow-throated Warbler
There are many kinds of warblers out there that you might think you have spotted, so if you believe you have seen a Yellow-throated Warbler in Pennsylvania, you may have to check very well and be sure it has yellow color on its throat before giving too much credence to your sighting.
It is commonly found in the southern states, with migratory patterns to follow. If indeed the Yellow-throated Warbler has traveled north in search of food, it may be here until late summer.
Eastern Meadowlark
Listen for the Eastern Meadowlarks’ rich, melodious song. Watch for their colorful wings flashing as they zoom across fields, meadows and lawns to feed on grasshoppers, crickets and other insects.
Marvel at their intelligence as they shape the landscape by building nests in grassy, open areas on the ground. The Eastern Meadowlark is a medium-sized songbird in Pennsylvania.
They have bright yellow underneath alongside pale brown with black marks on the back. They have a distinctive black band across the chest. This bird is most common between March and November when more Eastern Meadowlarks arrive for breeding.
White-eyed Vireo
If you want to see a unique bird in Pennsylvania woods, look for a White-eyed Vireo. They are small songbirds in gray and yellow tones, and they move through trees in short flights. They have yellow across the forehead and eyes and a white eye. They eat insects, spiders and seeds.
The White-eyed Vireos can be spotted in Pennsylvania between April and October. Nesting and foraging occur from mid-April through early September.
Prairie Warbler
PRAIRIE WARBLERS are one of the most common yellow birds in Pennsylvania during the summer months. Why do they stay here all summer?
Most of them nest as far north as Alaska, where it is too cold for them to raise their young. Then, when warm weather arrives in April, they migrate here to the area and live off insect meals until winter.
Prairie Warblers are enjoyable to watch because they are relatively tame and will tolerate a close approach.
Canada_Warbler_on_Bough
Similar to the Magnolia Warbler in appearance, Canada Warblers and one of the cutest yellow birds in PN. They have yellow chests, throat and bellies, grayish backs, light gray throats and black eye markings.
They are usually found in mountain ranges, in spruce and fir forests. They prefer to nest high up in a tree, usually using vines and cordgrass as a framework for their nest.
There are many yellow birds in PA and they range from common yellowthroat yellow warblers to American goldfinch. We already listed the most common yellow birds in Pennsylvania for you in this article.
Yellow birds in PA typically live between 5 and 12 years. Unfortunately, improper care and traumatic accidents often restrict their lifespan to less than seven years.
Because of their striking yellow color, the American goldfinch is one of the common backyard bird species that are commonly found around the yards. If you spot a yellow bird in your backyard, it may probably be an American goldfinch.
Yellow birds are symbolic of positivity, hopefulness and joy.
Hopefully, this bird guide has helped you identify the yellow birds in PA that have come your way. If you are visiting Pennsylvania this spring or summer, then you should keep an eye out for some of these birds.
In addition to the ones mentioned above, you might also see things like killdeer, yellow-billed cuckoo, blue grosbeak, and many other types of birds that are yellow. If you are lucky, perhaps you will even see a bird that has more colorings—in Pennsylvania!