Adult male has bright yellow underparts, uniform greenish back and wings, long undertail coverts that accentuate a relatively short greenish tail, and a solid dark gray hood with no eye ring or eye arcs. Also has near black lores and a cluster of black feathers across the breast at the bottom of the hood that create a bibbed look. The bill is fairly long and heavy for a warbler, with a dark upper mandible and pale fleshy lower mandible. Female has lighter gray hood, with a slightly paler ashy throat. Immature has a partial gray-green hood that is infused with yellow, a yellow throat, a broken breast band, and may have a thin broken eye ring. MacGillivray's Warbler has white eye arcs in all plumages, and Connecticut Warbler has complete eye ring.

Length: 13 (cm) Wingspan: 19 (cm)

Voice:

Short, buzzy, slurred, repetitive phrases, similar to MacGillivray's Warbler. Call is a sharp, metallic note.

Habitat:

Scrubby areas, thick vegetation, overgrown clearcuts, riparian zones, swamps, bogs, and undergrowth.

Behavior:

Skulks in thickets, often difficult to observe, though sometimes sings from exposed perches and typically responds well to pishing. Usually found alone or in pairs. Nest is a woven cup, bulky with leafy base, placed low in a shrub.

Feeding:

Forages by gleaning foliage or hopping along ground; eats insects and invertebrates.