DIY Homeschooler

Plate 35: Maryland (Common) Yell0wthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Beautifully colored summer songbird found in thickets near roads and streams.

The adult male of this species wears a black mask over his eyes and is only 5¼ inches long. The female lacks the mask but has a yellow throat, white belly and olive-brown head, back, wings and tail which identify the birds.

They nest over a wide area, favorite habitat being bushy thickets near water. He is quick to resent any invasion of his privacy and uses a variety of scolding notes to let you know how unhappy he is. His movements are wren-like and hurried and his black eyes fairly sparkle to show his excitement. He soon vanishes into the undergrowth but you will have a chance to learn his call which sounds like “witchity, witchity, witchity,” or “witcheree, witcheree, witcheree,” usually repeated 3 times.

While all warblers are beneficial, the Yellowthroat perhaps leads the list for he feeds over a large area and in a variety of places. Cankerworms in your orchard will soon bring this bird for they along with fall webworms, are his favorites. Other caterpillars, plant lice, leaf-hoppers, grasshoppers, flies and beetles add variety to his menu and protection to the farmer.

They nest on or near the ground, the female builds the nest and hatches the young, but he is a devoted father and helps gather juicy worms to feed the offspring.

Introduction to Our Bird Friends, Volume 1

Suggestions

• Print out the notebooking pages provided below.
• Read the Maryland Yellow-Throat story in Bird Biographies out loud.
• Have a younger student orally narrate what was read. He can then copy a few lines of his narration onto the notebooking pages.
• Older students can read the text, Plate XXXV: Maryland Yellow-Throat, and provide a written narration.
• Sketch the bird. This encourages attention to detail, which will aid in identifying the bird later on. Another option is to use the printables provided below.
• Sketch the nest of the bird, along with the eggs. Note where the nest is usually found.
• Older students can include the taxonomy.
• Learn more about the Common Yellowthroat at Cornell.
• On one notebooking page note the facts:
  • Description.
  • Habitat.
  • Range.
  • Food.
  • Nest.
  • Eggs.
  • Call.
• The yellowthroat is covered in The Burgess Bird Book: CHAPTER XXV. Three Cousins Quite Unlike.

Additional Resources

30 Narration Ideas
At some point you might appreciate some variety.

The Bird Study sections of our free nature study series: Our Wonderful World:

• Free Nature Studies: Hunting Birds With Eyes & Camera
• Free Nature Studies: Bird Guardians (Owls)
• Free Nature Studies: Landlord to the Birds

Printables & Notebooking Pages

Maryland (Common) Yellowthroat Notebooking Pages
Free simple notebooking set.

Yellowthroat
Bird picture for notebook.

Fifty Favorite Birds Coloring Book
Dover Nature Coloring Book based on Fifty Birds of Town and City by Bob Hines. Includes the yellowthroat.

Common Yellowthroat Range Map
For notebook from Cornell.

Bird Facts Notebooking Page
One option in a more graphic organizer style that is especially nice for noting the facts and range.

Enjoy the entire series: