The yellowthroats are

New World warbler The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Most ...

s in the genus ''Geothlypis''. Most members of the group have localised ranges in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, but the

masked yellowthroat The masked yellowthroat (''Geothlypis aequinoctialis'') is a New World warbler. It has a number of separate resident breeding populations in South America. The black-lored yellowthroat and southern yellowthroat were formerly considered subspecie ...

has an extensive

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n distribution, while the

common yellowthroat The common yellowthroat (''Geothlypis trichas'') is a New World warbler. In the U.S. Midwest, it is also known as the yellow bandit. It is an abundant breeder in North America, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico. The genus name ''Geo ...

breeds over much of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. All the yellowthroats have similar plumage, with yellow-green upperparts, yellow breast, and a mainly black bill. The adult male has a black facemask of variable extent, usually bordered above with a grey band. The female is similar, but lacks the black mask, and may be duller in plumage. The breeding habitat of these warblers is typically

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

es and other wet areas with dense low vegetation. The eggs, two in most species, but up to five for common yellowthroat, are laid in a lined cup nest low in grass or rank vegetation. Yellowthroat are usually seen in pairs, and do not associate with other species. They are often skulking, and feed on a range of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s. The taxonomy of these closely related species is complicated, and it is sometimes difficult to define which forms merit species status. For example common yellowthroat,

Belding's yellowthroat Belding's yellowthroat (''Geothlypis beldingi'') is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the southern Baja California Peninsula (Mexico). It is closely related to common yellowthroat, Altamira yellowthroat and Bahama yellow ...

Altamira yellowthroat The Altamira yellowthroat (''Geothlypis flavovelata'') is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeding bird endemic (ecology), endemic to the Gulf slope of northeastern Mexico.Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ''New World Warblers'' It is closely rel ...

, and

Bahama yellowthroat The Bahama yellowthroat (''Geothlypis rostrata'') is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the Bahamas. Taxonomy It is closely related to common yellowthroat, Altamira yellowthroat and Belding's yellowthroat, and is also con ...

are sometimes considered conspecific. Conversely masked yellowthroat can be split to three or even four species. The name 'yellowthroat' is sometimes used as an alternate name for the

yellow-throated leaflove The yellow-throated leaflove (''Atimastillas flavicollis'') is a species of leaflove in the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Atimastillas''. The yellow-throated leaflove is found in western and ce ...

. The geographical isolation of the various populations of this mainly sedentary group has led to its genetic divergence and speciation. This process can be seen in action in the case of masked yellowthroat, where the subspecies are separated by rainforest or the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, leading to the development of distinctive forms, such as the Central American race ''Geothlypis aequinoctialis chiriquensis''. This form is found in the highlands of

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

and western

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, and is separated by 1000 km from its South American cousins, from which it differs in size, appearance and vocalisations. The

Kentucky warbler The Kentucky warbler (''Geothlypis formosa'') is a small species of New World warbler. It is a sluggish and heavy warbler with a short tail, preferring to spend most of its time on or near the ground, except when singing. Description Adult Kent ...

mourning warbler The mourning warbler (''Geothlypis philadelphia'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. Mourning warblers are native to eastern and central North America as well as some countries in Central America.Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R. ''Patu ...

, and

MacGillivray's warbler MacGillivray's warbler (''Geothlypis tolmiei'') is a species of New World warbler. These birds are sluggish and heavy warblers, preferring to spend most of their time on, or near the ground, except when singing. left, A MacGillivray's warbler p ...

, all previously thought to have been members of the genus ''

Oporornis The Connecticut warbler (''Oporornis agilis'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. Description These medium-sized warblers measure in length, with a wingspan. Connecticut warblers weigh when they fledge, attaining an average ...

'', have since been moved to ''Geothlypis''.

Species

References

* Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ''New World Warblers'' * * Hilty, ''Birds of Venezuela'' * Stiles and Skutch, ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q923089 Geothlypis