In this article I’ll be going over 15 unique yellow birds that can be found across the state of South Dakota so, continue reading if you want a more detailed look at each bird below.

• Yellow Breasted Chat
• American Goldfinch
• American Yellow Warbler
• Western Tanager
• Dickcissel
• Baltimore Oriole
• Orchard Oriole
• Common Yellowthroat
• Western Meadowlark
• Canada Warbler
• Mourning Warbler
• Yellow Headed Blackbird
• Yellow Rumped Warbler
• Western Kingbird
• Cedar Waxwing

15 Yellow Birds In South Dakota

1. Yellow Breasted Chat (Icteria Virens)

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

These yellow breasted chats are found in the majority of South Dakota when breeding. This tends to fall between 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.

2. American Goldfinch (Spinus Tristis)

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

American goldfinches are year round residents in the eastern border of South Dakota and will stick around in the remainder of the state when they breed. 

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 the 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.

3. American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga Petechia)

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

You’ll find American yellow warblers in all of South Dakota throughout their breeding spring and summer seasons.

American Yellow Warblers are recognised by their yellow plumage with streaks of brown on their 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. Western Tanager (Piranga Ludoviciana)

• Size: 16 – 19cm
• Weight: 24 – 36 grams
• Wingspan: 27 – 31cm

You’ll be able to spot western tanagers in parts of the western regions of the state when breeding and in the central and remainder of western South Dakota when migrating.

Western Tanagers are recognised by their red head, yellow body and their gray wings with yellowish/white stripes. The females are yellow too although it’s color is more dirty yellow with gray/black wings.

Western tanagers can be found within Open conifer or mixed forests.

Within these environments they will consume a variety of food sources like smaller fruits and berries like mulberries and elderberries as well as insects like wasps, bees, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, termites, cicada among other smaller insects.

Western tanagers tend to live upto 7 – 8 years in the wild.

5. Dickcissel (Spiza Americana)

• Size: 14 – 16cm
• Weight: 23 – 29 grams
• Wingspan: 25 – 26cm

Dickcissels can be found in all of South Dakota when breeding. 

Dickcissels are recognised by their yellow chest, gray belly, brown wings with strips of black and a gray head with a horizontal yellow strip across the eye and silver/gray triangular beak. Females have a similar color scheme but are far duller in their vibrancy and are smaller overall than males too.

Dickcissles are most commonly found around open grassland areas like native prairies, restored grasslands, grazed pastures, hayfields, fallow agricultural fields as well as fencerows and roadsides on occasion.

These birds tend to eat mostly insects and seeds which consists of grasshoppers, caterpillars, termites, flies, wasps, beetles; they also eat spiders as well as seeds of grasses, willows, buckwheat, crops like rice and sorghum.

Dickcissels tend to live for around 4 years on average in the wild.

6. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus Galbula)

• Size: 15 –  20cm
• Weight: 28 – 43 grams
• Wingspan: 23 – 30cm

Baltimore orioles can be found all across South Dakota when breeding.

These orioles are recognised by their orange, black and white plumage, their head and wings that are a black color, their breast and the underside of the tail yellow with a beak that’s black in color. Females are yellow too but, their head isn’t black like the males.

Baltimore orioles can be found within open deciduous woodlands where they will build their nests within American elms, cottonwoods, and maples. 

As for the types of food they eat, it includes a variety of small insects like ants, wasps. beetles, grasshoppers, flies among others, flower nectar and smaller fruits like berries. They also feed on sugar water found within feeders.

These orioles are known to live for around 11 years in the wild, which is actually on the longer side for birds of their size.

7. Orchard Oriole (Icterus Spurious)

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

You’ll be able to spot these orchard orioles all across South Dakota when breeding in the spring and summer months. 

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.

8. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis Trichas)

• Size: 11 – 14cm
• Weight: 11 – 15 grams
• Wingspan: 15 – 19cm

You’ll find common yellowthroats in all of South Dakota when they breed.

Common yellowthroats are recognised by their mostly light brown/dirty yellow plumage from their head to tail whilst their throat is a bright yellow color. Females are mostly yellow with small elements of yellow on their tail and chin whilst males have more elements of black on their face.

As for where you can find these yellowthroats, they can be located around swamps, marshes, wet thickets, edges where they will often breed within wet marshes as well. They also nest within briars, moist brushy places, tangles of rank weeds and shrubbery along streams and overgrown fields.

Common yellowthroats are known to eat smaller insects like ants, spiders, and beetles along with seeds and smaller fruits like berries.

These avians can live for around 11 years in the wild.

9. Western Meadowlark (Sturnella Neglecta)

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

Western meadowlarks are spring and summer breeding residents within the state of South Dakota. 

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.

10. Canada Warbler (Cardellina Canadensis)

• Size: 12 – 15cm
• Weight: 9 – 13 grams
• Wingspan: 17 – 22cm

Canada warblers can be seen in the central and eastern part of South Dakota when migrating.

These warblers are recognised by their mostly gray back and wings, yellow belly, neck and breast with a black patterned area around their neck. Females look very similar but don’t have the black pattern around their neck.

As for you where you’ll find Canada warblers, they’ll often be seen around many types of forests, from conifer swamps to riparian woodlands and are most commonly found in cool, damp, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests with well-developed shrub layers. 

They tend to mostly consume insects from flying insects like bees, flies, wasps to spiders, cicadas, grasshoppers etc.

These Canadian warblers tend to live for around 6 – 8 years.

11. Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis Philadelphia)

• Size: 10 -15cm
• Weight: 11 – 13 grams
• Wingspan: 18 – 21cm

You’ll find mourning warblers in most of South Dakota when they migrate through it.

Mourning Warblers are recognised by their silver gray head feathers, yellow breast feathers and greeny/yellow wings. The females are also yellow but have a far lighter brown color on their head instead.

These small birds tend to spend their time in the edges of marshes , in swamps, willow-lined streams, leafy bogs as well as dry areas like thickets, orchards, farmlands, forest edges and suburban yards.

Much like other smaller avians, mourning warblers feed mostly on seeds and insects with the occasional berry or vegetable if they come across some.

Mourning Warblers can also live for a good length of time, roughly around 7 – 8 years.

12. Yellow Headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus Xanthocephalus)

• Size: 20 – 25cm
• Weight: 44 – 100 grams
• Wingspan: 36 – 44cm

These blackbirds are breeding residents in all of South Dakota, which typically encompasses the spring and summer breeding months.

Yellow headed blackbirds are recognised by their obvious vibrant yellow face feathers, black wing feathers, beak and eyes. Their look is definitely more unique than the average black and yellow bird on his list but, their diet is more of the same.

This is because yellow headed blackbirds mostly consume seed and insects. The insects they consume include
beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants, wasp among other smaller insects. They also consume the occasional berry.

Like other blackbirds yellow headed blackbirds tend to spend the majority of their time in gardens, thickets, hedges, broad-leaved environments and coniferous forests.

Yellow headed blackbirds are known to live for around 11 years on average whilst the longest known one happened to hit the 18 year mark.

13. Yellow Rumped Warbler (Setophaga Coronata)

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

Yellow rumped warblers can be found in southeast South Dakota when they breed and in the remainder of the state when migrating. 

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, and spiders with the berries including bayberry, juniper, wax myrtle, poison ivy, and others.

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

14. Western Kingbird (Tyrannus Verticalis)

• Size: 20 – 24cm
• Weight: 37 – 46 grams
• Wingspan: 38 – 41cm

Western Kingbirds are summer and spring residents within South Dakota as this is the season within which these birds breed. 

These birds are recognised by their gray head, back and wings, a pointy black beak with the lower half of their body mostly yellow. Females are duller in color than males and are also a lot more gray from head to breast too.

You’ll often find the western kingbird perched around open country, grasslands, dry savannas, valleys, lowlands, open farms, woodlands, agricultural fields and sagebrush. 

Western kingbirds are known to eat mostly insects which include wasps, bees, beetles, grasshoppers, flies, true bugs, caterpillars, moths as well as other smaller fruits and berries.

These birds are known to live for around 6 years in the wild.

15. Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla Cedrorum)

• Size: 15 – 18cm
• Weight: 25 – 35 grams
• Wingspan: 22 – 30cm

Cedar waxwings can be found in the majority of South Dakota when breeding and in the southern, eastern and western borders of the state in their non-breeding season. 

They’re recognised by their plumage that has elements of yellow across their body which can be found on their tail and breast with the remainder of their body a gradient brownish/gray color, a mask shaped black element on their face and a red strip on their wings. Females look very similar to males with the main tell tail difference being darker coloration on the males chin.

Cedar waxwing can be found around open woodlands, fruiting trees, forest edges, streamsides, overgrown fields, edges of swamps, suburban yards and orchards. In the winter months, they can sometimes be seen spending their time in towns.

These avians are known to mostly eat fruits and berries with the ones they feed on most often being juniper, dogwood, and wild cherries. They also drink the juices from flowers and eat a variety of small insects like beetles, ants, caterpillars etc.

As for their lifespan, they are often known to live for 8 years in the wild.