Geothlypis trichas
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) is a New World warbler. It is an abundant breeder in North America, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico. In the northern parts of its range the birds are migratory, wintering in the southern parts of the breeding range, Central America and the West Indies. Southern forms are largely resident. Historically, it has also been known as the "yellow bandit", Maryland yellow-throat, and yellow-breasted warbler.
The common yellowthroat was formally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Turdus trichas. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek τριχας/trikhas, τριχαδος/trikhados, a type of thrush. Linnaeus based his account on "The Maryland yellow-throat" that had been described and illustrated in 1758 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his book Gleanings of Natural History. Linnaeus specified the locality as North America but this was restricted to the state of Maryland by the American Ornithologists' Union in 1931. The common yellowthroat is now one of 15 species placed in the genus Geothlypis that was introduced in 1847... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Yellowthroat sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 337 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 197 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Yellowthroat in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Yellowthroat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
40th of 66
Of the 66 parks where we can rate Common Yellowthroat sightings, Yellowstone National Park ranks 40th at about 10%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 60%), Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 50%) and Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Yellowthroat is recorded against all the birds logged in Yellowstone National Park (337 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
