Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Explore this bird

Identification

14 cm (5-6") Fairly common in eastern United States; rare in Canada in extreme southern Ontario. Deciduous woods along streams and in swamps.

Head and underparts are a golden yellow. Blue-gray wings with no wing bars. White undertail coverts. White patches in tail.

Nests in tree cavities.

Song: loud and clear "tweet" repeated.

Details in the field

3 photos

Credit: Laura Gooch

Credit: Larry Bond

Credit: Rick Bond

Watch and learn

1 video

Prothonotary Warbler Portrait

Credit: Larry Bond

Where it lives

Source legend · original intervals

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Unshaded in source · does not imply absence

Bird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant 2 rules

These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.

2 rules

Rule 1 15 criteria confidence 4

Did the WINGS have STRIPES or PATCHES ?: No · Unknown
What colour were the WINGS ?: Blue · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the BACK ?: Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the BELLY ?: White, or pale (grayish-white) · Yellow · Unknown
What colour PATTERN if any was shown on the BREAST ?: Uniform color · Unknown
What colour was the BREAST ?: Yellow · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?: Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?: Straight and slender · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?: Short · Medium · Unknown
What were the EYE markings if any ?: None · Unknown
What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?: Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Green · Unknown
What was the predominant colour of the HEAD ?: Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?: Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
What TYPE of bird was seen ?: Warbler-like
WHERE was the bird seen ?: Southeastern United States

result:29-prothonotary-warbler:1:1 Source: 29 Prothonotary Warbler, row 1

Rule 2 15 criteria confidence 1

Did the WINGS have STRIPES or PATCHES ?: No · Unknown
What colour were the WINGS ?: Blue · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the BACK ?: Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the BELLY ?: White, or pale (grayish-white) · Yellow · Unknown
What colour PATTERN if any was shown on the BREAST ?: Uniform color · Unknown
What colour was the BREAST ?: Yellow · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?: Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?: Straight and slender · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?: Short · Medium · Unknown
What were the EYE markings if any ?: None · Unknown
What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?: Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Green · Unknown
What was the predominant colour of the HEAD ?: Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?: Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
What TYPE of bird was seen ?: Warbler-like
WHERE was the bird seen ?: Northeastern Canada or United States · Southwestern United States · Northwestern Canada or United States

result:29-prothonotary-warbler:2:1 Source: 29 Prothonotary Warbler, row 2