In this article we’re looking at birds that all have one thing in common, yellow bellies! Yellow is a pretty common color in bird plumage, and yellow bellies are found fairly frequently in species like warblers and flycatchers. Below we’ve put together a list of 20 types of birds with yellow bellies.
20 Birds with Yellow Bellies
1. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Length: 7.1-8.7 in
- Weight: 1.5-1.9 oz
- Wingspan: 13.4-15.8 in
Sapsuckers are a type of woodpecker known for drilling rows of small holes in trees to collect sap. Most of their coloring is black and white, and both sexes have a red crown. Only males, however, will have a red throat. Where they get their name is the yellow hue often seen on their breast and belly feathers. Sometimes the yellow can be easy to see, other times their belly may appear so pale that it is nearly white.
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers can be found in the eastern half of North America. They winter in the southeastern states down through Mexico and Central America, then head north to the northeast and Canada to breed in the summer.
Their counterpart in the west, the Red-naped Sapsucker, looks very similar and also sports a yellow tinged underbelly.
2. Great Kiskadee
The Great Kiskadee is a large member of the flycatcher family. Males and females have the same plumage. Their bold black and white head is only matched by the brightness of their yellow chest and belly. Great Kiskadees can fish like kingfishers, but also eat insects, lizards, snakes, small mice and enjoy fruit from trees and cacti. They are fairly loud and not particularly shy of people, so you have a good chance of spotting them in their range.
South Texas is the main spot they can be found in the U.S. However they have a wide range throughout coastal Mexico, Central America and most of South America.