Kansas is home to a number of unique looking birds, from green ones, blue ones, big, small red or yellow. In this article I’ll simply be covering 7 birds that have a significant amount of yellow on their body  all of which consider Kansas as home.

• American Goldfinch 
• Yellow Rumped Warbler 
• American Yellow Warbler 
• Yellow Breasted Chat 
• Female Orchard Oriole 
• Western Medowlark 
• Great Crested Flycatcher 

7 Yellow Birds In Kansas

1. American Goldfinch (Spinus Tristis)

• Size: 11 – 13cm
• Weight: 11 – 20 grams
• Wingspan: 19 – 22cm

American goldfinches can be found all across Kansas on a year round basis. 

These finches are recognised by their yellow, white and black plumage. Their wings are black and white, their forehead is distinguished by the small black patch on it, their under tail is white with the remainder of the body a bright yellow color. Females are far less vibrant with hints of yellow however, are mostly a light brown color.

American goldfinches are found around edges of forests and plains, around areas filled with brush and thistle plants.

These finches tend to mainly consume seeds that come from the daisy composite family, seeds from weeds, from trees like birches and elm trees, buds, the occasional insect, maple sap and berries.

American goldfinches are known to live between 2 – 4 years in the wild and upto 9 years in captivity.

2. Yellow Rumped Warbler (Setophaga Coronata)

• Size: 12 – 14cm
• Weight: 12 – 13 grams
• Wingspan: 19 – 23cm

Yellow rumped warblers are non-breeding residents in southeast Kansas whilst they tend to make their migratory passage through the remainder of the state. 

These warblers are recognised by their gray and black wings, tail, back and head with a black mask like stroke across the eye, with yellow elements on the upper end of the wing, on the top and around the upper breast area. Females tend to be a  gray/brown color whilst males are a little more vibrant.

Yellow rumped warblers are often found around coniferous forests, especially during the breeding season whilst in winter they can be found in open areas with fruiting shrubs.

As for what they eat, it includes insects and berries where the insects are caterpillars, wasps, grasshoppers, gnats, aphids, beetles, spiders with the berries including bayberry, juniper, wax myrtle, poison ivy, and others.

Warblers are known to live upto 10 years in the wild.

3. American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga Petechia)

• Size: 12.5 – 13cm
• Weight: 8 – 16 grams
• Wingspan: 16 – 22cm

These American yellow warblers are summer residents within Kansas. As they tend to mate within May – June, you could also say Kansas is one of their breeding states too. 

American Yellow Warblers are recognised by their yellow plumage with streaks of brown on its feathers and back. The males have a few more patterns to their plumage but, both the males and females are mostly yellow in color.

As for the habitats in which these little avians tend to spend the majority of their time, it would be bushes, swamp edges, streams and gardens.

Yellow warblers tend to consume insects and berries with 2/3 of their diet mostly consisting of small insects like caterpillars,
beetles, damselflies, treehoppers and more.

These little warblers are known to live upto 10 years although most warblers don’t live nearly as long as that. Often a warblers will live closer to 2 – 5 years in the wild as opposed to the full 10.

4. Yellow Breasted Chat (Icteria Virens)

• Size: 17 – 19cm
• Weight: 20 – 34 grams
• Wingspan: 23 – 27cm

These yellow breasted chats are found nearly all throughout the state of Kansas when going through their season of breeding. The timeframe within which they breed tends to be around the spring and summer months. 

Yellow breasted chats are recognised by their gray/greenish back, wings and forehead, bright yellow chest and white/grayish underside of their lower half.

These avians like to spend the majority of their time within thickets among other dense grassy environments where bushes, shrubs and clearcuts are present.

As for the type of food these yellow breasted avians eat, they include small insects like bees, wasps, mayflies, grasshoppers, katydids, caterpillars, spiders among others small variants along with the smaller fruits and berries.

Yellow breasted chats also tend to live for around 5 – 8 years in the wild.

5. Female Orchard Oriole (Icterus Spurious)

• Size: 15 – 18cm
• Weight: 16 – 28 grams
• Wingspan: 23 – 27cm

You’ll be able to spot female orchard orioles in Kansas throughout the spring and summer breeding season. 

Orchard orioles are recognised by their orange breast and belly with their neck, head and back black in color. Females on the other hand are almost completely yellow with elements of gray throughout their body.

As for where you can find these birds, they will often be located around semi-open habitats with deciduous trees and open space, including riverside trees, orchards, suburbs, forest edges,  forest clearings and prairie groves. 

These orioles like most other orioles will consume a number of unique food sources such as insects, nectar from flowers, sugar water from feeders and a number of other smaller berries and fruits.

Orchard orioles can live for around 11 years in the wild.

6. Western Medowlark (Sturnella Neglecta)

• Size: 16 – 26cm
• Weight: 88 – 116 grams
• Wingspan: 39 – 43cm

Western meadowlarks are year round residents in most of Kansas besides the north east region where they’re only non-breeding fall and winter residents. 

They’re recognised by their yellow and black plumage on their breast, a black, white and brown spotted pattern on their wings along with its pointy gray beak acting as another one of its standout features. Females on the other hand are more brown and duller in color.

These medowlarks can often be found spending their time in grasslands, cultivated fields, pastures, meadows and prairies.

Western medowlarks tend to eat insects and seeds with the insects including beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, ants, true bugs, spiders, snails, sowbug and waste grain seeds, which make up about one-third of their annual diet.

These medowlarks are known to live for around 10 years.

7. Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus Crinitus)

• Weight: 27 – 40 grams
• Wingspan: 32 – 35cm

You’ll  be able to spot great crested flycatchers in Kansas through their spring and summer breeding season. 

Great crested flycatchers are recognised by their brown mohawk like head feathers, brown feathers, gray neck and yellow breast. Females are very similar looking to the males.

These flycatchers are located around deciduous or mixed-deciduous woodlands like a semi-open canopy, forest edge and  urban areas with large trees.

They can eat a variety of food sources with insects being their main grub where they will often hunt them in the air. Lizards, berries among other fruits are also eaten by these little birds.

Great crested flycatchers are known to live between 2 – 10 years.