There are many birds with yellow plumage in Southern California. Here are twelve of the most common ones that are seen during various seasons.
Many birds call the unique vegetation of Southern California home, but it is those with a flash of yellow that often catch the eye. Here's a quick guide to help hikers and other casual observers identify one yellow bird from another.
Wilson’s Warbler
Look for this bird especially in the spring and fall. It has a yellow belly and breast and an olive-colored back and wings. The long tail, yellow face and black cap make this small (less than five inches) Southern California bird easy to identify.
Pacific-Slope Flycatcher
About the same size as the Wilson’s warbler, this bird is most commonly seen in the summer in Orange County. Its yellow belly and chest are not as bright at the Wilson’s warbler, and its back is more olive-brown in color. Look for the distinctive white eye ring, orange lower bill and long tail.
Yellow Warbler
The yellow warbler is the same size as the Wilson’s warbler, but it does not have the black cap and is more yellow overall. Look for red streaks on black wings and yellow in the tail. Expect to see the yellow warbler in the spring and summer in Southern California.
Lesser Goldfinch
This small bird (to five inches) can be seen year-round in Orange County. The bright yellow breast of this bird is similar to the Wilson’s warbler, but the back of this bird is darker with a larger black cap. Look for white accents on the dark wings.
American Goldfinch
Like the lesser goldfinch, this bird is bright yellow overall except for a black cap and black wings with white edges. The American goldfish is roughly the same size as the lesser goldfinch and may be seen year round throughout much of Southern California.
Lawrence Goldfinch
This bird may be larger (to six inches) than the lesser goldfinch and the American goldfinch. While it also has a yellow breast, its back is gray, and its wings are yellow with some black accents. Instead of a black cap, the Lawrence goldfinch has a black face. This bird may be seen year-round in Southern California
Yellow-rumped Warbler
This bird is more black than yellow, but it does have a distinctive yellow cap and throat. Look also for yellow side patches. Up to six inches, the black breast makes this warbler unique. Expect to see it any season except summer.
Western Tanager
This bird’s red head (which may be mixed with yellow) is quite distinctive. To seven inches, the western tanager may be present any season except winter. It has a yellow breast, yellow wing bars and a black tail.
Cedar Waxwing
The cedar waxwing is a gray to light brown bird with a pale yellow belly. It also has a distinctive yellow tail band. Look for a pointed brown crest and black markings around the eyes. The cedar waxwing (so named for the “waxy” tips on its secondary flight feathers) may be present any season other than summer.
Western Kingbird
This larger bird (to eight inches) is often seen in the spring and summer throughout Southern California. It has a yellow belly, gray head and black wings and tail. Look for a distinctive white band along the outer margin of the tail.
Hooded Oriole
This bird has a yellow “hood” (hence the name), a yellow belly and a black throat. Its wings are a dark gray to black color with yellow accents. Growing to eight inches, it has a distinctive curved bill and is most frequently seen in the spring and summer.
Western Meadowlark
This bright, yellow-breasted, larger bird (to nine inches) has a distinctive yellow throat. Look for a black band separating the yellow on its throat from its yellow breast. Also note the black spotting over white on its sides and the white bands on the sides of its tail. This bird is usually present year round in Orange County.
Conclusion
A good guidebook such as Sibley's (The Sibley Guide to Birds) will provide more information about each species, as well as pictures to aid in identification.
The copyright of the article Quick Guide to Yellow Birds of Orange County CA in Wild Birds is owned by Ret Talbot. Permission to republish Quick Guide to Yellow Birds of Orange County CA in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I live west of orange county and I just saw a brilliant all yellow bird
with a black mask. I have never seen a bird like this before around here
and we have kind of a haven for birds in our back yard. anybody know
what it is? It doesn't seem to match any of the twelve descriptions on this
site.
Apr 6, 2009 8:49 PM
Guest :
I live in Corona and have been seeing the same bird you describe. It keeps
coming to my hummingbird feeder, chasing all the hummingbirds away! I have
never seen a bird like this around here either.
May 1, 2009 10:20 AM
Guest :
I live in Orange Park Acres and have the same situation with the same type
of birds! I have a male and female. I'm watching him right now
"rob" the large hummingbird feeder. He's stunning! Do you think
they could be waxwings of some kind?
May 4, 2009 6:46 PM
Guest :
I have seen the same bird in my backyard lately. We live next to the San
Gabriel mountains. We have lots of finches come to our bird feeders, but
this one, and I think it is a hooded oriole from the picture, only comes to
the hummingbird feeder. This is the second year that is has come, and it
usually only stays around for a few weeks to a month at the most. It is
certainly a very colorful bird with its bright yellow head and body, black
mask, and black wings with white striations.
May 27, 2009 11:09 AM
Guest :
I live in Tustin Ranch and saw that same yellow bird with the black mask
today. From what I could find on the internet, I think it's a common
yellowthroat. It has such a pretty song, too!
May 27, 2009 7:47 PM
Guest :
I have a pair! The brilliant yellow, black hooded male is more skittish
than the female who is quite content to hang a bit upside down to feed from
my hummingbird feeder. She's pretty self-confident, knowing that we won't
harm her. The male seems to provide protection surveillance, but many
times she arrives absent her mate. We're in LA County - Agoura Hills. Believe it or not, I also have a green, orange, yellow parrot who has
made it thru more than one year of being free (sadly, his buddy appears to
have not). He visits regularly. I've yet to see him enjoy the bird bath,
but nobody - scrub jays, doves, wrens, black birds - seem to bug him. He's
a little guy with a strong sense of self and a wonderful song. Looks happy
as can be waddling along my tree branches.
May 30, 2009 6:18 PM
Guest :
This unusual bird has been frequenting our yard for a few months. It seems
to love water; we have a very bird-friendly fountain in the front yard that
it loves. My husband took a picture of it on Friday. I have seen it in the
back yard bathing on the flat waterfall rock in our smaller pond. It has
probably been in our yard seven times in the last two months (that we have
seen). It is BRIGHT yellow on the head and body,it has a black patch from
the eye level down it's face and on its throat, black beak, the wings are
black with some white markings on it, and black feet. I grew up in south
Orange County and I'm 53 years old. I don't remember this bird. What is
it?
May 30, 2009 6:41 PM
Guest :
We actually have a nest of these (Hooded Orioles) in a curled up leaf in
one of our bananna trees. I can hear the babies chirping from where I'm
sitting! These birds are really quite striking, and I'm always excited to
see them migrate back to our area because it means summer will be coming
soon. If you have any giant bird of paradise plants, watch for them to
visit the blossoms--the orioles love to drink out of the "beak"
part of the bird of paradise blossom!
May 30, 2009 6:43 PM
Guest :
We actually have a nest of these (Hooded Orioles) in a curled up leaf in
one of our bananna trees. I can hear the babies chirping from where I'm
sitting! These birds are really quite striking, and I'm always excited to
see them migrate back to our area because it means summer will be coming
soon. If you have any giant bird of paradise plants, watch for them to
visit the blossoms--the orioles love to drink out of the "beak"
part of the bird of paradise blossom!
May 30, 2009 7:32 PM
Guest :
We actually have a nest of these (Hooded Orioles) in a curled up leaf in
one of our bananna trees. I can hear the babies chirping from where I'm
sitting! These birds are really quite striking, and I'm always excited to
see them migrate back to our area because it means summer will be coming
soon. If you have any giant bird of paradise plants, watch for them to
visit the blossoms--the orioles love to drink out of the "beak"
part of the bird of paradise blossom!
May 31, 2009 7:26 AM
Guest :
I live in Laguna Hills and have seen a hooded oriole hanging around our
fountain in the front yard, and even bathing on the flat waterfall rock in
our pond in the back. It is shy, but I did manage to take pictures from the
kitchen window. I haven't seen it drink from the hummingbird feeder yet,
maybe I'll put one in the front yard and see what it does.
Jun 27, 2009 6:47 PM
Guest :
I live in Mentone (just north of Redlands CA. and we have had this bright
yellow bird with black wings (with a little white on the black) eating at
the hummingbird feeders! Some one told us it was an evening grosbeak but it
does not match the pictures. It really sucks up the food in the feeders (it
comes several times a day). Does any one have a name?
Jul 1, 2009 6:00 PM
Guest :
Living out here in Victorville,,it blew me away to see a pair of hooded
oriole's. Never seen this species of birds up here in the five years I
lived here. A very beautiful bird.
Jul 1, 2009 6:00 PM
Guest :
Living out here in Victorville,,it blew me away to see a pair of hooded
oriole's. Never seen this species of birds up here in the five years I
lived here. A very beautiful bird.
Jul 16, 2009 10:42 PM
Guest :
I'm form Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada. I had a Western
Tanager cruise through the property. Some of the Birds you talk about
here have some incredible range and coverage over North America! Peace-Phil
Jul 21, 2009 12:22 PM
Guest :
Unfortunately I viewed a dead yellow bird (from apparantly flying into the
windows of our office building) but did not find it listed above. I work
in Carson, CA and know that this is not orange county. It was about 8 to
9" in length and had lightish brown wings. It was only viewed from
the underside. Maybe it is an feral exotic, any thoughts?
Jul 24, 2009 8:21 AM
Guest :
I finally got a good picture of this bird. It is about seven inches, a
substantial size bird with brilliant orange yellow body. It's face is
black around the eyes and down it's throat. The wings are deep black with
a small edging of white in the middle and the long tail is black. None of
the picutres I have seen look like this bird. It is beautiful. Wish I
could include a picture. I am in Whittier.
Jul 31, 2009 8:21 AM
Guest :
We've had a pair of Hooded Orioles in our yard for the past two years. They
eat the grapes off our grape vine and they drink from the humming bird
feeder.They are very pretty, I don't remember seeing them before and I've
lived on OC for 30 years.
Nov 20, 2008
