Kentucky Warbler Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesKentucky Warbler
Adult male
Medium-sized, long-legged warbler. Entirely yellow below and olive-green above. Males have black sideburns and crown.
© Brad Imhoff / Macaulay LibraryOhio, May 01, 2020Female
Long-legged warbler of the understory. Entirely yellow below and olive-green above. Females also have dark sideburns, but they are often grayer and the cap is often smaller and mottled black or gray.
© Pam Linge / Macaulay LibraryIllinois, May 11, 2020Adult male
A sturdy warbler with a heavier bill, longer legs, and shorter tail than many other warbler species. Male is olive above and yellow below, with a blackish crown and face broken by a yellow eyebrow that wraps around behind the eye.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 15, 2021Female/immature
Medium-sized warbler of the understory. Yellow below with a black crown and sideburns.
© Fernando Burgalin Sequeria / Macaulay LibraryHeredia, October 19, 2019Adult male
Males and females are entirely yellow below.
© Brad Imhoff / Macaulay LibraryOhio, May 01, 2020Adult male
Song is a rapid series of two-parted notes, all on the same pitch.
© Bill Hohenstein / Macaulay LibraryVirginia, May 25, 2020Female/immature
Breeds in bottomland hardwood forests and forests near streams with dense understory. From a distance, note yellow underparts, long legs, and black sideburns.
© Denny Swaby / Macaulay LibraryWest Bay, August 24, 2019Similar SpeciesHooded Warbler
Adult male
Male Hooded Warblers have a black crown and throat unlike Kentucky Warblers.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 25, 2014Similar SpeciesHooded Warbler
Female/immature
Female/immature Hooded Warblers have a cleaner yellow face than Kentucky Warblers.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, September 17, 2011Similar SpeciesCanada Warbler
Adult male
Canada Warblers have a black necklace and eyering that Kentucky Warblers lack.
© David Turgeon / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, June 10, 2016Similar SpeciesCanada Warbler
Adult female/immature male
Female and immature Canada Warblers have a distinctive eyering and a gray (not olive-green) back.
© Bob & Sharon Edelen / Macaulay LibraryDelaware, September 23, 2016Similar SpeciesCommon Yellowthroat
Adult male
Common Yellowthroats have a large black mask and whitish bellies, unlike Kentucky Warbler's smaller black mask and entirely yellow belly.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, June 08, 2013Similar SpeciesCommon Yellowthroat
Female
Female yellowthroats have yellow only on the throat and undertail coverts, while female Kentucky Warblers have entirely yellow bellies.
© Davey Walters / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, August 18, 2016Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
New World Warblers(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Parulidae)
More to Read
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.