The black-polled yellowthroat is a species of bird in the family Parulidae.
Region
Central Mexican Plateau
Typical Environment
Restricted to freshwater marshes, reedy lake margins, and vegetated canal systems with dense stands of cattails (Typha) and bulrushes. It forages and nests low in emergent vegetation, often within a meter or two above the water. The species favors quiet waters with thick cover and avoids open shorelines. Habitat loss and fragmentation have confined it to a handful of wetland remnants around urban and agricultural areas.
Altitude Range
2200–2800 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The black-polled yellowthroat is a Mexican endemic warbler confined to high-elevation marshes. Males are distinctive with a black crown (“poll”) rather than the full black mask shown by many other yellowthroats. It is highly threatened by wetland drainage, pollution, and urban expansion around the Valley of Mexico. Conservation efforts focus on protecting and restoring cattail marshes and canal edges.
Illustration by Keulemans, 1885
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low over vegetation
Social Behavior
Typically seen as solitary individuals or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Nests are placed low in dense cattails or bulrushes, often woven into vertical stems above water. Pairs are presumed monogamous, with both adults attending young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A bright, bouncy series of clear, ringing notes reminiscent of other yellowthroats, delivered from concealed perches within reeds. Call notes are sharp chips used to maintain contact while moving through cover.
Plumage
Male with olive-green upperparts and bright yellow underparts; a solid black crown (poll) contrasts with the yellow face and throat. Female is duller olive-brown above with yellowish throat and breast, lacking the black crown. Both sexes have fine, pointed bills suited to gleaning insects.
Diet
Feeds primarily on insects such as beetles, flies, caterpillars, and aquatic insect larvae, as well as spiders and other small arthropods. It gleans prey from reed stems and leaves and may hover briefly to pick items from vegetation. Occasional surface picking from floating debris or water edges occurs in dense marshes.
Preferred Environment
Forages within thick emergent vegetation, especially cattails and bulrushes, along canals and quiet marsh edges. Often stays within a meter or two above the water where cover is deepest.
