Prothonotary Warbler Similar Species Comparison
Similar Species
Blue-winged Warbler
Adult female
Smaller than a Prothonotary Warbler with a black eyeline and wingbars.
© Jay McGowan | Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 19, 2016Similar Species
Blue-winged Warbler
Adult male
Smaller than a Prothonotary Warbler with a black eyeline and wingbars.
© Joseph Pescatore | Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, May 01, 2015Similar Species
Yellow Warbler
Adult female (Northern)
Smaller than a Prothonotary Warbler with yellowish (not blue-gray) wings.
© Terry Boswell | Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, June 04, 2017Similar Species
Yellow Warbler
Adult male (Northern)
Smaller than a Prothonotary Warbler with chestnut streaks on the breast.
© Keenan Yakola | Macaulay LibraryMaine, May 10, 2015Main Species
Prothonotary Warbler
Adult male
Large, heavy-bodied warbler with a big head and bill. Bright yellow overall with an olive back and grayish wings. Undertail coverts are white.
© Ryan Sanderson | Macaulay LibraryIndiana, April 22, 2020Adult female
Large warbler with a thicker black bill and a big head. Females are slightly paler than males with a crown and nape washed with green.
© Anonymous | Macaulay LibraryVirginia, July 08, 2020Adult male
Forages in the understory, slowly hopping along branches, twigs, and on the ground.
© Brad Imhoff | Macaulay LibraryOhio, April 27, 2020Adult male
Large, big-headed warbler with a thicker bill than most warblers. Golden yellow overall with an olive back and gray wings.
© Peter Brannon | Macaulay LibraryFlorida, September 14, 2016Adult male
Nests in holes in trees or nest boxes in wooded swamps and forested wetlands.
© Kim Harrell | Macaulay LibraryVirginia, April 21, 2016Adult male
Heavy-bodied warbler that is yellow overall with a beady black eye.
© Michael O'Brien | Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 13, 2016Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
New World Warblers(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Parulidae)
Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin
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.