Adult males are bright yellow below, with a sharp black face mask and olive upperparts; a thin whitish line sets off the black mask from the head and neck. Immature males show traces of the full mask of adult males. Females are a plain olive brown, usually with yellow brightening the throat and under the tail; they lack the black mask.

References cited in Species Profile

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2015. Common Yellowthroat. All About Birds. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Yellowthroat/id
• Crawford, R. L. 1980. Wind direction and the species composition of autumn TV tower kills in northwest Florida. Auk 97:892-895.
• James, P. 1956. Destruction of warblers on Padre Island, Texas, in May, 1951. Wilson Bull. 68:224-227.
• Shuford, W. D., and Gardali, T., editors. 2008. California Bird Species of Special Concern: A ranked assessment of species, subspecies, and distinct populations of birds of immediate conservation concern in California.
• Tordoff, H. B. and R. M. Mengel. 1956. Studies of birds killed in nocturnal migration. Univ. Kans. Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist. 10:1-44.