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The Common Yellowthroat is a member of the Warbler family. They are olive-brown above, and bright yellow on the throat and upper breast. Males have a bold black mask, bordered above with white. Females and males lack this facemask. They produce the cheerful and well-known song “which-is-it, which-is-it, which-is-it” or “witchity-witchity-witchity-witchity-wit”, as well as a sharp chip call. They are a migrating bird, going south for the winter.
Found in the open areas of Algonquin Highlands’ spruce bogs, the Common Yellowthroat lives in the dense layer of Leatherleaf and other shrubs, preferring this low and wet vegetation. Many kinds of insects are found in this vegetation, providing food for the Yellowthroat, which moves through the foliage with ease.
Males perform aerial courtship displays, flying through the air while uttering a series of high-pitched notes, and then bouncing back into the grass to sing their usual song. Nests consist of a mass of grass, sedge, and bark, and are lined with rootlets, hair, and fine grass. Concealed on the ground in a dense clump of grass, females lay 3 to 5 white eggs, spotted with black and brown. Parents approaching the nest will drop down into the grass and go to the nest secretly, delivering food, and then leave in a different direction. This helps to fool predators and keep the location of their well-hidden nests a secret.
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COMMON YELLOWTHROAT
Geothlypis trichas
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