The first to greet us in the spring,
The last to leave in the fall,
Four yellow spots before your eyes
Is proof he’s paid a call.
Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
The adult male of this species wears a black mask over his eyes and is only 5¼ inches long. The female lacks the mask but has a yellow throat, white belly and olive-brown head, back, wings and tail which identify the birds.
They nest over a wide area, favorite habitat being bushy thickets near water. He is quick to resent any invasion of his privacy and uses a variety of scolding notes to let you know how unhappy he is. His movements are wren-like and hurried and his black eyes fairly sparkle to show his excitement. He soon vanishes into the undergrowth but you will have a chance to learn his call which sounds like “witchity, witchity, witchity,” or “witcheree, witcheree, witcheree,” usually repeated 3 times.
While all warblers are beneficial, the Yellowthroat perhaps leads the list for he feeds over a large area and in a variety of places. Cankerworms in your orchard will soon bring this bird for they along with fall webworms, are his favorites. Other caterpillars, plant lice, leaf-hoppers, grasshoppers, flies and beetles add variety to his menu and protection to the farmer.
They nest on or near the ground, the female builds the nest and hatches the young, but he is a devoted father and helps gather juicy worms to feed the offspring.