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Abert’s Towhee Acadian Flycatcher Acorn Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Allen’s Hummingbird Altamira Oriole American Avocet American Bittern American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Golden-Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Oystercatcher American Pipit American Redstart American Robin American Three-toed Woodpecker American Tree Sparrows American White Pelican American Wigeon American Woodcock Anhinga Anna’s Hummingbird Arctic Tern Arizona Woodpecker Ash-Throated Flycatcher Atlantic Puffin Audubon’s Oriole Bachman’s Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Baird’s Sparrow Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Barrow’s Goldeneye Bay-breasted Warbler Bell’s Vireo Belted Kingfisher Bendire’s Thrasher Bewick’s Wren Black Guillemot Black Oystercatcher Black Phoebe Black Rail Black Rosy-Finch Black Scoter Black Skimmer Black Swift Black Tern Black Turnstone Black Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Black-backed Woodpecker Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Magpie Black-capped Chickadee Black-capped Vireo Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-chinned Sparrow Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-footed Albatross Black-headed Grosbeak Black-legged Kittiwake Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black-throated Sparrow Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-footed Booby Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-headed Vireo Blue-throated Hummingbird Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Warbler Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bohemian Waxwing Bonaparte’s Gull Boreal Chickadee Boreal Owl Botteri’s Sparrow Brandt’s Cormorant Brant Brewer’s Blackbird Brewer’s Sparrow Bridled Titmouse Broad-billed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-winged Hawk Bronzed Cowbird Brown Booby Brown Creeper Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Nuthatch Buff-bellied Hummingbird Buff-breasted Flycatcher Buff-breasted Sandpiper Bufflehead Bullock’s Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit Cackling Goose Cactus Wren California Condor California Gull California Quail California Thrasher California Towhee Calliope Hummingbird Canada Goose Canada Jay (Previously Gray Jay) Canada Warbler Canvasback Canyon Towhee Canyon Wren Cape May Warbler Carolina Chickadee Carolina Wren Caspian Tern Cassin’s Auklet Cassin’s Finch Cassin’s Kingbird Cassin’s Sparrow Cassin’s Vireo Cattle Egret Cave Swallow Cedar Waxwing Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-backed Chickadee Chestnut-collared Longspur Chestnut-sided Warbler Chihuahuan Raven Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Chuck-will’s-widow Chukar Cinnamon Teal Clapper Rail Clark’s Grebe Clark’s Nutcracker Clay-colored Sparrow Cliff Swallow Colima Warbler Common Eider Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Grackle Common Ground-Dove Common Loon Common Merganser Common Murre Common Nighthawk Common Pauraque Common Poorwill Common Raven Common Redpoll Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Connecticut Warbler Cooper’s Hawk Cordilleran Flycatcher Costa’s Hummingbird Couch’s Kingbird Crescent-chested Warbler Crested Caracara Crissal Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher Dark-eyed Junco Dickcissel Double-crested Cormorant Dovekie Downy Woodpecker Dunlin Dusky Flycatcher Dusky Grouse Eared Grebe Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Phoebe Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Towhee Eastern Whip-poor-will Eastern Wood-Pewee Elegant Tern Elf Owl Emperor Goose Eurasian Collared-Dove Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Wigeon European Starling Evening Grosbeak Ferruginous Hawk Field Sparrow Fish Crow Flammulated Owl Florida Scrub-Jay Forster’s Tern Fox Sparrow Franklin’s Gull Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gadwall Gambel’s Quail Gila Woodpecker Gilded Flicker Glaucous Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-cheeked Warbler Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Warbler Golden-fronted Woodpecker Golden-winged Warbler Grace’s Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Gray Catbird Gray Flycatcher Gray Kingbird Gray Partridge Gray Vireo Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Cormorant Great Crested Flycatcher Great Egret Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Greater Pewee Greater Prairie-Chicken Greater Roadrunner Greater Sage-Grouse Greater Scaup Greater White-fronted Goose Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green Jay Green-tailed-towhee Green-winged Teal Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Gunnison Sage-Grouse Gyrfalcon Hairy Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Harlequin Duck Harris’s Hawk Harris’s Sparrow Heermann’s Gull Henslow’s Sparrow Hepatic Tanager Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler Herring Gull Hoary Redpoll Hooded Merganser Hooded Oriole Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Horned Lark Horned Puffin House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hudsonian Godwit Hutton’s Vireo Inca Dove Indigo Bunting Ivory-billed Woodpecker Juniper Titmouse Kentucky Warbler Killdeer King Eider King Rail Kirtland’s Warbler Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Lark Bunting Lark Sparrow Laughing Gull Lawrence’s Goldfinch Lazuli Bunting Le Conte’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Thrasher Least Bittern Least Flycatcher Least Grebe Least Sandpiper Least Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs Lewis’s Woodpecker Limpkin Lincoln’s Sparrow Little Blue Heron Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Duck Louisiana Waterthrush Lucifer Hummingbird Lucy’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Magnificent Frigatebird Magnificent Hummingbird Magnolia Warbler Mallard Mangrove Cuckoo Marbled Godwit Marsh Wren Masked Duck McCown’s Longspur Merlin Mew Gull Mexican Jay Mississippi Kite Montezuma Quail Mottled Duck Mountain Bluebird Mountain Chickadee Mountain Plover Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Mourning Warbler Mute Swan Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Red-faced Warbler Red-headed Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Phalarope Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-throated Loon Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Pigeon Rock Ptarmigan Rock Sandpiper Rose-breasted Grosbeak Roseate Spoonbill Roseate Tern Ross’s Goose Rough-legged Hawk Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruddy Turnstone Ruffed Grouse Rufous Hummingbird Rufous-capped Warbler Rufous-winged Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Sabine’s Gull Sage Sparrow Sage Thrasher Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Sanderling Sandhill Crane Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow Say’s Phoebe Scaled Quail Scarlet Tanager Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scott’s Oriole Seaside Sparrow Sedge Wren Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

25 Types of Yellow Birds

Different Types of Yellow Birds

Yellow birds are common and easy to spot. There’s a reason for that – birds have incredible color vision, which is one of the reasons why the color of a bird’s plumage is so important.

Bright plumage is crucial for mating because bright plumage means a bird is strong and in good health. Additionally, the color of a bird’s plumage also benefits us because birders use colors and markings to identify birds.

We’ve compiled a list of the most common yellow birds, their descriptions, frequently asked questions, and more!

On this list, you’ll find birds that are completely yellow, partially yellow, or only have sections of yellow. We would like to mention that most of the yellow birds seen are females. Males of the same species may be red, orange, brown, etc.

 

#1 American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

Male American Goldfinch

American Goldfinches are small birds. They have small heads, long wings, short tails, and conical, short bills.

Adult males in early summer and spring are bright yellow with black wings and black foreheads. In addition, they have white markings on the wings and white patches on the tail.

Adult females are olive above and a duller yellow below. Winter birds have blackish wings with two faint wing bars and are unstreaked brown.

 

#2 Yellow Warbler

Yellow warbler

Yellow Warblers are small songbirds. They have rounded heads and medium-length tails. The bill is relatively large, straight, and thin. Yellow Warblers are consistently yellow birds.

Males are a bright yellow and have reddish streaks on the underparts. Both males and females flash yellow patches on the tail. Their faces have no markings, which really emphasizes their large black eyes.

 

#3 Western Tanager

western tanager

Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) perched on a branch in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Western Tanagers are heavyset songbirds. However, they’re relatively small but noticeably larger than warblers. They have medium-length tails and thick-based bills.

Adult males are yellow, have black wings, and have bright orange-red heads. The wings have two vivid wing bars, one yellow and one white. The tail and back are black.

Adult females have red on the front of the face and yellow-green plumage on the body.

 

#4 Yellow-Headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are relatively large blackbirds. They have large heads, plump bodies, and conical, long bills.

Males are striking; they’re mostly black but have yellow chests and heads and white patches where the wings bend. Females and immatures have duller yellow heads and are brown instead of black.

 

#5 Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat

Photograph © Greg Lavaty.

Common Yellowthroats are small songbirds. They have medium-length, slightly rounded tails, and rounded heads. Adult males have olive underparts, are bright yellow below, and have a striking black face mask.

A thin white line runs between the mask from the neck and the head. Females are olive-brown and have yellow on the throat and under the tail. They do not have the black mask.

 

#6 Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak

Photograph © Glenn Bartley.

Evening Grosbeaks are heavyset, large finches. They have short tails, thick, conical bills, thick necks, and full chests. Adult males are black and yellow birds and have noticeable white patches on the wings.

Their heads are dark, and a bright-yellow stripe goes over the eye. Females and immatures are mainly gray, have a greenish-yellow tint to the neck and flanks, and have white-and-black wings.

 

#7 Yellow-Breasted Chat

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-Breasted Chats are relatively small songbirds but are bulkier and larger than warblers. These birds have large heads, thick bills, and long tails.

In addition, these birds have bold face markings, olive green above, and bright yellow breasts. Their faces are gray with white rings around the eyes connecting to the bill. The lower belly is white as well.

 

#8 Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warblers are small songbirds. They have narrow, long tails and small bills. Adult males have distinctive black streaking and black masks.

Males have yellow throats, yellow bellies, gray and black plumage above, and wide white wing patches. Females have gray heads, white eyerings, 2 white wing bars, and a faint gray band on the neck.

The tails are white at the base and black at the tip.

 

#9 Dickcissel

Dickcissel

Dickcissels are compact, sparrowlike birds. They have short tails, thick, large bills, and full chests. Adult males have yellow faces and chests, grayish heads, and a bold black V on the neck.

The shoulders are reddish-brown, and the back is gray and brown. Females look similar but lack the black V on the throat and have a more muted pattern.

 

#10 Female Summer Tanager

Female Summer Tanager

Summer Tanager

Summer Tanagers are chunky, medium-sized songbirds. They have large heads and big bodies. Their bills are blunt, large, and thick. Although females and immature males are bright yellow-green, they’re yellower on the underparts and head and slightly greener on the wings and back. Their bills are pale.

 

#11 Bananaquit

bananaquit

Bananaquit (Coerba flaveola) perched on a branch at Buenaventura Lodge in southwest Ecuador.

Bananaquits are small and very active warbler-like birds. These birds have variable plumage across their range. Most of the Bananaquit population have bold white eyebrows and yellow underparts.

Throat color also varies from white, pale gray, and sooty gray. Some birds in the their range are entirely black.

 

#12 Lesser Goldfinch

lesser-goldfinch - Tom Grey

Lesser Goldfinches are tiny songbirds. They have short, notched tails and long, pointed wings. Males have white patches on the wings, glossy black caps, and bright yellow below.

Their backs can be a dull green or glossy black. Their tails have white corners and are mostly black. Females have dull yellow underparts, olive backs, and black wings.

 

#13 Orchard Oriole

Orchard Oriole

Photograph © Alan Wilson.

Orchard Orioles are slender songbirds and are larger than warblers. They have rounded heads, straight, sharply pointed bills, and medium-length tails.

Female Orchard Orioles are greenish-yellow overall and have two white wing bars. Immature male Orchard Orioles look like females but have black around the throat and bill.

 

#14 Social Flycatcher

Social Flycatchers are medium-sized flycatchers. They have dark gray on their heads, a bold white eye stripe, and a concealed brown stripe on their crowns.

Social Flycatchers also have olive brown on their upper parts, and their wings and tails are a darker brown. In addition, the throat is white, and the underparts are yellow.

 

#15 Couch’s Kingbird

Couch's Kingbird

Couch’s Kingbirds are bulky, large flycatchers. They have long tails, long wings, and straight, heavy bills.

Male and Female Couch’s Kingbirds look almost identical. These birds have a yellow breast, pale gray heads, dark bills, dark legs, whitish throats, and gray-brown to somewhat greenish upper parts.

 

#16 Scott’s Oriole

Scotts Oriole

Scott’s Orioles are medium-sized birds. They have sturdy bodies, long tails, straight, long bills, and solid feet and legs.

Adult male Scott’s Orioles are black above, bright yellow below, and have black throats and chests. They also have yellow shoulders, black and yellow tails, and white wing bars.

Adult female Scott’s Orioles are olive-green above and a muted yellow below. They also have some stippling on the head and faint wing bars.

 

#17 Saffron Finch

Saffron finches are medium-sized finches. Male Saffron Finches are mostly bright yellow and have vivid orange on their foreheads.

There’s less brownish-olive on their backs and wings like many yellow finches do. There are some regional differences. Southern populations tend to be duller and have browner above.

Female Saffron Finches are duller than males, and southern populations are streakier and browner.

 

#18 Cassin’s Kingbird

Cassin's Kingbird

Cassin’s Kingbirds are compact but powerful flycatchers. They have smaller heads, straight, heavy bills, and somewhat long tails and wings. Cassin’s Kingbirds have gray heads, yellow bellies, and white throats. The tails and wings are brown.

Their tails’ outer feathers are not white. However, you can see that the tip is pale.

 

#19 Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Orioles are smaller than American Robins. They’re medium-sized birds with sturdy bodies, long legs, and thick necks. Their bills are distinct due to their thick base, length, and point.

Females and immature males are grayish on their heads, yellowy-orange on the breast, and have two white wing bars.

 

#20 Great Kiskadee

Great Kiskadee

Photograph © Glenn Bartley.

Great Kiskadees are blocky, large flycatchers. They have thick necks, large heads, and straight bills. Their wings are rounded and wide, and their tails are square-tipped and medium-length.

Great Kiskadees are striking with their reddish-brown, white, black, and yellow mix. Their heads are black; they have bold white eyebrows, white throats, and their underparts are yellow.

Their tails and wings are reddish-brown, which is very noticeable in flight.

 

#21 Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Eastern Yellow Wagtails are long-tailed, slender birds. Their plumage can vary, but mainly their underparts are bright yellow, their backs are grayish-olive, and they have pale throats.

Their tails are black and have white on their outer feathers. Young Eastern Yellow Wagtails lack yellow and have a distinctive head pattern.

 

#22 Canada Warbler

Canada Warbler

Canada Warblers are well-proportioned and small birds. Compared to other warblers, they have fuller chests, longer tails, and straight, sharp bills.

These birds are bright yellow below, blue-gray above, and have apparent white eyerings. The most noticeable feature of these birds is the the black “necklace” that runs across their chests.

 

#23 Slate-Throated Redstart

Slate-throated Redstart

Male and female Slate-throated Redstarts look almost identical, and their plumage changes depending on their region. Their upper parts and heads are slaty gray.

They have black faces and rusty orange caps. In Mexico, their bellies are red; in northern Central America, they’re orangey-red; and in Costa Rica and South America, they’re yellow.

The tails are white-tipped and usually fanned side-to-side.

 

#24 Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlarks are about the size of a robin but have shorter tails and are chunkier.

They have slender bills, rounded shoulders, flat heads, and slender, long bills. Western Meadowlarks have elaborately patterned buff, black, brown upperparts and yellow underparts.

A black “V” crosses the breast, contrasting light buff and dark brown stripes can be seen on the head, and the outer tail feathers have a flash of white.

 

#25 Great Tit

Great Tits have distinct plumage; they have white cheeks surrounded by a black bib and cap. Male Great Tits have a broad black stripe down the belly that females lack.

Juveniles have dull yellow on their faces and fainter plumage overall. Their underparts are bright yellow throughout most of their range, but in Central Asia, they have white bellies.

About the Author

Brianna Goulet

Brianna loves to get outdoors for everything creative and fun. She has a passion for birds and is a hobbyist wildlife photographer based in Central Florida. Her goal is to share everything you need to know about birds so you can get out there, explore, and identify confidently!

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