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black-throated green warbler

black-throated green warbler (Setophaga virens) [female]
Photo © Rob Curtis/The Early Birder

black-throated green warbler (Setophaga virens) [male]
Photo © Alan Murphy Photography

Features and Behaviors

FEATURES
This warbler is about five inches in length. The male has black throat feathers, gray-green feathers on the top of the head and bright yellow feathers on the side of the head. The female and immature show yellow feathers on the side of the head and gray-green feathers on the top of the head, but they have very little black coloration on the throat.

BEHAVIORS
The black-throated green warbler is a common migrant in Illinois, and some of these birds may nest in northern Illinois. They are found in woodlands, where they feed on insects, although fruits may become part of the diet in fall and winter. They winter in Mexico and Central America. Spring migrants begin arriving in March. Fall migrants start appearing in August, although occasionally some will be seen in July.

Illinois Range

Taxonomy

​Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae

Illinois Status: common, native