Yellow Birds in Minnesota: 10 Bright Species With Pictures (2024)

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As the snow melts and trees blossom, little bursts of yellow will catch your eye in Minnesota.

These cheery birds are a beautiful sight, and with this guide, you’ll be able to identify them with ease.

This article will take you through 10 bright yellow bird species found in Minnesota, with detailed pictures, information, and migration patterns.

Get ready to explore the vibrant avian life of the Land of 10,000 Lakes!

Yellow Birds in Minnesota Overview

Minnesota is home to a variety of vibrant yellow birds, offering bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike a colorful spectacle. Bird watching is a delightful hobby, and with the right bird identification guide, you can become an expert at recognizing these feathered friends.

Yellow birds in Minnesota include warblers, orioles, and finches, each with unique characteristics and behaviors. Some of these birds are year-round residents, while others migrate, providing a dynamic and ever-changing avian landscape.

This article will be your complete guide to identifying, locating, and understanding the habits of these brilliant yellow birds. You’ll learn about their habitats, diets, and the best ways to attract them to your backyard. Get ready to explore the fascinating world of yellow birds in Minnesota!

American Goldfinch (Spinus Tristis)

The American Goldfinch, or Spinus Tristis, is a bright and cheerful bird that can be spotted in Minnesota throughout the year. These finches are easily recognizable by their distinct plumage, which features a vibrant mix of yellow, white, and black feathers. Here are some key facts about this beautiful bird:

1. Habitat and Diet: American Goldfinches are adaptable birds found in forest edges, plains, brush, and near thistle plants. They primarily eat seeds from the daisy family, weeds, birch, and elm trees, along with insects, maple sap, and berries.
2. Nesting and Behavior: With a wild lifespan of 2 to 4 years, these active and social finches often nest near food sources, especially thistle plants. They’re known to visit bird feeders for sunflower and nyjer seeds.
3. Migration and Range: American Goldfinches are year-round residents in southern Minnesota, while they migrate to northern regions during the summer. Keep an eye out for these colorful birds as you explore the state’s diverse habitats.

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus Galbula)

Now, let’s turn our attention to the Baltimore Oriole, a vibrant bird with a unique nesting habit.

Baltimore Orioles build their nests in tall deciduous trees, usually near the end of slender, drooping branches. These nests are carefully constructed hanging pouches, woven from plant fibers, bark strips, grapevines, grass, and even yarn or string. The female takes the lead in building, sometimes with assistance from her mate. Their preferred nesting sites include elms, cottonwoods, maples, willows, and apple trees.

The adult male Baltimore Oriole is a bold contrast of black and orange, a distinctive look among eastern birds.

Females sport a yellow-brown hue on their upper parts, with darker wings and a dull orange-yellow breast and belly. Juvenile orioles resemble females, and it takes males until their second year to attain adult plumage.

These orioles are partial to berries and cultivated fruit, as well as nectar and sugar water from feeders.

Feature	Description
Nest Location	Tall deciduous trees, especially elms, cottonwoods, and maples
Male Plumage	Black and orange
Female Plumage	Yellow-brown with darker wings and orange-yellow breast
Diet Preferences	Berries, fruit, nectar, and sugar water

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis Trichas)

The Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) is a summer resident in Minnesota. You can identify this bird by its light brown or dirty yellow plumage with a bright yellow throat—a unique feature that gives it its name. Keep an ear out for the male’s distinctive song, a clear, whistled "wichity-wichity-wichity."

Common Yellowthroats favor marshy or wetland areas and brushy fields, often nesting in thick, tangled vegetation near swamps, marshes, wet thickets, and forest edges. Their diet consists of smaller insects, seeds, and berries, which they find in their natural habitat.

Birders should look for these yellowthroats during the summer months in Minnesota. Their brownish backs and bright yellow undersides make them stand out in the lush greenery of the season. Keep an eye out for the males’ black masks, a striking feature that indicates their readiness for courting.

Dickcissel (Spiza Americana)

The dickcissel is an intriguing yellow bird that you may spot in Minnesota during the summer, though it’s not a common visitor. Its appearance is quite distinctive, with a yellow chest, gray belly, and brown wings adorned with black strips. You’ll also notice its gray head, which is highlighted by a yellow strip across the eye, and its silver-gray beak.

These birds favor open spaces, so keep an eye out for them in grasslands, prairies, pastures, hayfields, and fallow agricultural fields. They’re not picky eaters, feasting on a variety of insects and seeds, including grasshoppers, caterpillars, termites, flies, wasps, beetles, spiders, and seeds from grasses, willows, buckwheat, rice, and sorghum.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla Cedrorum)

Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are year-round residents in Minnesota.

These birds are easily identified by their yellow tail and breast, brownish-gray body, black mask, and a vibrant red stripe on their wings.

You can spot them in a variety of habitats, including open woodlands, forest edges, streamsides, swamps, and even suburban yards.

Cedar Waxwings are known for their love of fruit and berries, especially juniper, dogwood, and wild cherries.

They also feed on flower juices and small insects.

With an average lifespan of eight years in the wild, these birds are a delightful addition to any backyard.

To attract them, consider planting native trees and shrubs with small fruits, such as serviceberry, dogwood, juniper, winterberry, or hawthorn.

Cedar Waxwings are a beautiful and fruit-loving species that you can enjoy watching and learning about.

American Yellow Warbler

The American Yellow Warbler is a bright yellow bird with a light-colored chest. It’s slightly larger than other warblers, measuring around 4.7–5.1 inches and weighing 0.3–0.4 ounces. The males are a bit brighter in color than the females, but both sexes sport the same lemon-yellow hue.

Myrtle Warbler (Yellow-Rumped Warbler)

The Myrtle Warbler, also known as the Yellow-Rumped Warbler, is a lively bird that’s a common sight in Minnesota. These warblers are medium-sized, measuring around 4.7 to 5.5 inches in length, and they sport a distinctive yellow rump patch that gives them their name. They’re active foragers, hunting for insects in mid-air or searching for food in trees and even leaf debris.

Myrtle Warbler Facts	Details
Size	4.7 to 5.5 inches
Weight	12 to 13 grams
Plumage	Gray with yellow patches and black on the chest
Foraging	Active foragers, hunting insects in mid-air and searching trees and leaf debris

In winter, they’re often seen in large flocks and can be territorial around other bird species. In terms of their diet, they’re not picky, eating insects, fruits, and even seaweed.

These warblers are known for their interesting migration routes. They breed in coniferous forests during the summer, but in winter, they shift to open areas with fruiting shrubs. So, keep an eye out for these yellow-rumped birds in different habitats throughout the year.

Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeaks are large, colorful finches with a unique appearance. They’re mostly yellow, with black and white markings on their wings and tails, and males have a distinctive orange-yellow forehead. You’ll see these grosbeaks in Minnesota during the winter, when they migrate south from their breeding grounds in Canada.

Evening Grosbeaks have a preference for seeds, especially sunflower seeds, but they also eat buds and insects. They’re social birds, often gathering in large flocks during the winter. You can find them in coniferous forests, where they feed on the seeds of spruce and fir trees.

During the breeding season, which is typically in May or June, these birds build nests in trees, usually choosing a spot high up in the branches. The female lays 3-4 eggs, which hatch after about two weeks. Both parents take care of the young, and the chicks leave the nest around 14 days after hatching.

Magnolia Warbler

The magnolia warbler is a member of the wood warbler family, Parulidae. It’s a small bird, measuring 4.3 to 5.1 inches in length, with a wingspan of 6.3 to 7.9 inches. It’s named after the magnolia trees where it was first discovered by ornithologist Alexander Wilson in Mississippi.

These warblers are found in the northernmost parts of the US, including Minnesota, and across Canada. They breed in dense forests, especially among young coniferous trees like firs. Their nests are small and shallow, made from grass, twigs, and horsehair fungus, usually found close to the ground.

During winter, they migrate to the warmer south, including Mexico, Panama, and the Caribbean. They can be spotted in various woodlands during migration.

Adult males have distinctive black streaks radiating from a black neckband, with white undertail coverts and black-tipped tails. Females and immature birds have duller colors, with gray heads and a faint gray neckband.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)