Bird Guide

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Least ConcernInvertebratesForestCavity nestTiny · 14 g

About the Prothonotary Warbler

The prothonotary warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. It is named for its plumage, which resembles the yellow robes once worn by papal clerks in the Roman Catholic Church.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

The prothonotary warbler is 13 cm (5.1 in) long, weighs a mean 14.3 g (0.50 oz), and has a wingspan of 22 cm (8.75 in). It has an olive-coloured back with blue-grey wings and tail, yellow underparts, a relatively long pointed bill, and black legs. The adult male has a bright orange-yellow head. Females and immature birds are duller and have a yellow head. In flight from below, the short, wide tail has a distinctive two-toned pattern, white at the base and dark at the tip.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What the Prothonotary Warbler sounds like

Recording: Tom Austin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where the Prothonotary Warbler lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in Portugal, Anguilla, Dominica, French Guiana, St. Barthélemy.

When to see the Prothonotary Warbler

Peak activity in May · a summer visitor species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Side by side: Louisiana Waterthrush vs Prothonotary Warbler · Canada Warbler vs Prothonotary Warbler · Black-throated Grey Warbler vs Prothonotary Warbler

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