This list includes 58 Birds that start with Y, from “Yapacana Antbird” to “Yungas Pygmy Owl”. They include small forest antbirds and compact owls. Many are migratory or resident species useful for birdwatching and field identification.
Birds that start with Y are species whose common English names begin with the letter Y. Some names reflect local places or people, as with the Yapacana Antbird, a notable regional species.
Below you’ll find the table with Common name, Scientific name, Habitat, and Wingspan (cm).
Common name: Shows the widely used English name so you can quickly scan familiar species and common-name variants.
Scientific name: Gives the accepted binomial for precise identification and helps you match species across guides and databases.
Habitat: Summarizes the typical environments where the species lives, helping you narrow searches and plan observations.
Wingspan (cm): Provides a size range in centimeters so you can compare species and estimate sightings in the field.
Birds that start with Y
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Habitat | Wingspan (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowhammer | Emberiza citrinella | Farmland with hedges, open scrubland | 23–29 |
| Yellow Warbler | Setophaga petechia | Wet thickets, streamsides, suburban gardens | 16–20 |
| Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava | Wet meadows, marshes, farmland | 23–26 |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus americanus | Deciduous woodlands, dense thickets | 38–43 |
| Yellow-billed Kite | Milvus aegyptius | Savannas, open woodlands, urban areas | 135–155 |
| Yellow-billed Loon | Gavia adamsii | Arctic coastal waters, tundra lakes | 135–150 |
| Yellow-billed Oxpecker | Buphagus africanus | African savanna with large mammals | 30–33 |
| Yellow-billed Spoonbill | Platalea flavipes | Freshwater wetlands, shallow marshes | 140–160 |
| Yellow-billed Stork | Mycteria ibis | Shallow wetlands, lakes, floodplains | 150–165 |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus varius | Mixed forests, orchards | 34–40 |
| Yellow-bellied Fantail | Chelidorhynx hypoxantha | Montane forests, rhododendron scrub | 15–17 |
| Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | Empidonax flaviventris | Boreal forests, spruce bogs | 18–20 |
| Yellow-bellied Greenbul | Chlorocichla flaviventris | Coastal forests, woodlands, thickets | 28–32 |
| Yellow-bellied Seedeater | Sporophila nigricollis | Grasslands, weedy fields, scrub | 16–18 |
| Yellow-breasted Apalis | Apalis flavida | Forests, woodlands, savannas | 12–14 |
| Yellow-breasted Bunting | Emberiza aureola | Wet meadows, Siberian taiga | 21–24 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | Dense thickets, streamside scrub | 23–27 |
| Yellow-browed Bulbul | Iole indica | Forests and plantations | 28–32 |
| Yellow-browed Warbler | Phylloscopus inornatus | Siberian taiga, mixed forests | 15–17 |
| Yellow-collared Lovebird | Agapornis personatus | Savanna woodlands, grasslands | 20–22 |
| Yellow-crowned Bishop | Euplectes afer | Marshes, grasslands, cultivated areas | 12–14 |
| Yellow-crowned Gonolek | Laniarius barbarus | Scrubland and thickets | 25–28 |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Nyctanassa violacea | Wetlands, swamps, coastal mangroves | 105–112 |
| Yellow-eyed Junco | Junco phaeonotus | Montane pine-oak forests | 22–26 |
| Yellow-eyed Penguin | Megadyptes antipodes | Coastal forests, dense scrub | 70–75 |
| Yellow-faced Grassquit | Tiaris olivaceus | Weedy fields, open scrub, roadsides | 14–16 |
| Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Caligavis chrysops | Forests, woodlands, heathlands | 22–25 |
| Yellow-faced Myna | Mino dumontii | Forests, woodlands, gardens | 40–44 |
| Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon | Treron phoenicopterus | Forests, woodlands, agricultural land | 45–50 |
| Yellow-fronted Canary | Crithagra mozambica | Open woodlands, savannas, gardens | 18–20 |
| Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird | Pogoniulus chrysoconus | Woodlands, savanna, gardens | 16–19 |
| Yellow-fronted Woodpecker | Melanerpes flavifrons | Forests and woodlands | 33–36 |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | Freshwater marshes, wetlands | 38–43 |
| Yellow-headed Caracara | Milvago chimachima | Savannas, open woodlands, agricultural areas | 75–95 |
| Yellow-hooded Blackbird | Chrysomus icterocephalus | Marshes, wetlands, rice paddies | 28–32 |
| Yellow-legged Gull | Larus michahellis | Coasts, lakes, urban areas | 120–140 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Setophaga coronata | Coniferous and mixed forests | 19–21 |
| Yellow-shouldered Blackbird | Agelaius xanthomus | Coastal forests and mangroves | 33–37 |
| Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo | Zanda funerea | Eucalyptus forests and woodlands | 150–170 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | Vireo flavifrons | Deciduous forests, open woods | 20–23 |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | Setophaga dominica | Pine forests, cypress swamps | 18–20 |
| Yellow-throated Fulvetta | Fulvetta cinereiceps | Temperate montane forests | 15–17 |
| Yellow-throated Miner | Manorina flavigula | Dry woodlands, scrublands, open country | 26–30 |
| Yellow-tufted Honeyeater | Lichenostomus melanops | Eucalyptus forests and woodlands | 20–23 |
| Yellow-vented Bulbul | Pycnonotus goiavier | Gardens, scrubland, urban areas | 25–28 |
| Yellow-wattled Lapwing | Vanellus malabaricus | Dry plains, scrubland, fallow fields | 65–70 |
| Yapacana Antbird | Aprositornis disjuncta | White-sand forests, savanna woodland | 18–20 |
| Yarrell’s Siskin | Spinus yarrellii | Forest edges, clearings, plantations | 18–20 |
| Yemen Linnet | Linaria yemenensis | High-altitude rocky slopes and plateaus | 20–22 |
| Yemen Thrush | Turdus menachensis | Highland juniper woodlands, gardens | 30–33 |
| Yemen Warbler | Curruca buryi | Montane acacia and juniper woodlands | 16–18 |
| Yucatan Jay | Cyanocorax yucatanicus | Tropical dry forest and scrub | 50–55 |
| Yucatan Vireo | Vireo magister | Coastal scrub and mangroves | 20–22 |
| Yucatan Wren | Campylorhynchus yucatanicus | Coastal scrub, arid thorn forests | 22–24 |
| Yuhina, Taiwan | Yuhina brunneiceps | Montane broadleaf forests | 16–18 |
| Yuhina, Whiskered | Yuhina flavicollis | Montane forests and rhododendron stands | 18–20 |
| Yungas Dove | Zenaida meloda | Arid scrub, farmlands, urban parks | 35–40 |
| Yungas Pygmy Owl | Glaucidium bolivianum | Andean montane forests, cloud forests | 28–32 |
Descriptions
Yellowhammer
A Eurasian bunting where males have a bright yellow head and a reddish-brown rump. Its distinctive song is famously described as sounding like “A little bit of bread and no cheese.”
Yellow Warbler
A brilliant yellow songbird found across the Americas. Males have reddish streaks on their breast. They are active foragers, often seen flitting through willows and shrubs in search of insects.
Yellow Wagtail
A slender, ground-feeding bird known for its constantly wagging tail. It has a complex taxonomy with many subspecies across Eurasia, Africa, and Alaska, varying in head coloration.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
A slim, long-tailed bird of the Americas, often called the “rain crow.” It’s known for its stealthy movements and a diet that includes large, hairy caterpillars that other birds typically avoid.
Yellow-billed Kite
A common raptor in sub-Saharan Africa, often seen soaring gracefully. It is an opportunistic scavenger and hunter, recognizable by its all-yellow bill and slightly forked tail.
Yellow-billed Loon
The largest of the loons, breeding in the high Arctic of Russia, Alaska, and Canada. It has a striking pale yellow or ivory-colored bill, which is held in a distinct uptilted posture.
Yellow-billed Oxpecker
This African bird has a unique symbiotic relationship with large mammals like buffalo and rhinos, feeding on ticks and other parasites. It has a bright yellow bill with a red tip.
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
An Australian wading bird with a distinctive spatulate bill. It sweeps its bill from side to side in shallow water to catch aquatic invertebrates. Forms large, noisy breeding colonies.
Yellow-billed Stork
A large African wading bird with a long, bright yellow bill. It uses a tactile hunting method, stirring the water with one foot while holding its bill open to snap up prey.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
A North American woodpecker famous for drilling neat rows of holes in tree bark to feed on sap and the insects attracted to it. Its drumming is a distinctive stuttering pattern.
Yellow-bellied Fantail
A small, energetic bird of the Himalayas. It constantly fans its long, yellow-and-black tail while flitting through the undergrowth to flush out insects, which it catches in mid-air.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
A small, reclusive flycatcher of North America’s boreal forests. It has a noticeable yellow wash on its belly and throat. It catches insects in quick flights from a low perch.
Yellow-bellied Greenbul
A common and noisy bird in eastern and southern Africa. It is an olive-brown bird with a contrasting bright yellow underside. Usually found in small, active foraging parties.
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
A small finch-like bird found in South America and the Caribbean. Males have a striking black hood that contrasts with a bright yellow belly, feeding primarily on grass seeds.
Yellow-breasted Apalis
A small, long-tailed warbler found across Africa. It has a bright yellow breast, a gray head, and white outer tail feathers. It actively gleans insects from foliage.
Yellow-breasted Bunting
Once widespread across northern Eurasia, this bunting is now critically endangered due to excessive trapping. The breeding male is stunning with a black face, yellow underparts, and chestnut band.
Yellow-breasted Chat
A large, enigmatic North American songbird, not a true warbler. Known for its bizarre collection of whistles, squawks, and gurgles, often delivered from a hidden perch in dense vegetation.
Yellow-browed Bulbul
A songbird found in the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. It has olive-green upperparts, yellow underparts, and a prominent yellow brow (supercilium), giving it a cheerful look.
Yellow-browed Warbler
A tiny, highly active leaf warbler that breeds in Siberia and winters in tropical Asia. It is a common vagrant to western Europe, identified by its bold yellow supercilium and double wingbar.
Yellow-collared Lovebird
A small, brightly colored parrot native to Tanzania. It has a green body, black head, bright yellow collar, and white eye-ring. Popular in aviculture but threatened by trapping.
Yellow-crowned Bishop
A small African weaver bird. During breeding season, the male transforms into a stunning black and brilliant yellow bird, often seen in fluttering display flights over grasslands.
Yellow-crowned Gonolek
A beautiful West African bushshrike with fiery scarlet underparts and a golden-yellow crown. It is a shy bird, often heard more than seen, known for its loud, melodious duets.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
A stocky heron of the Americas. Adults are gray with a bold black-and-white face pattern and a pale yellow crown. They are primarily nocturnal, specializing in hunting crustaceans.
Yellow-eyed Junco
A sparrow found in the mountains of Mexico and the southwestern U.S. It is instantly recognizable by its piercingly bright yellow eyes, gray head, and reddish-brown back.
Yellow-eyed Penguin
One of the world’s rarest penguins, native to New Zealand. It is known for its distinctive yellow eye-band. Unlike most penguins, it is a solitary nester, preferring secluded forest sites.
Yellow-faced Grassquit
A tiny seed-eating bird of Central America and the Caribbean. The male has a black face and chest, neatly bordered by a bright yellow throat and eyebrow, giving it a masked appearance.
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
A common and noisy honeyeater in eastern Australia. It is named for the bold yellow stripe on the side of its face, bordered by black. Its loud call is a familiar sound in the bush.
Yellow-faced Myna
A large, noisy starling from New Guinea. It is easily identified by its glossy black plumage and the extensive patch of bright orange-yellow bare skin around its eyes.
Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon
A common pigeon in South and Southeast Asia. It has a beautiful mix of green, gray, and purple plumage, with striking bright yellow legs and feet. Often seen in flocks in fruiting trees.
Yellow-fronted Canary
A small, common finch in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a bright yellow forehead and underparts with a gray and brown back. It has a pleasant, tinkling song.
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
A tiny African barbet with a loud, repetitive “tink-tink-tink” call that can continue for minutes. It has a distinctive yellow spot on its forehead and a stout bill.
Yellow-fronted Woodpecker
A colorful woodpecker from South America. It has black-and-white barred upperparts, a bright yellow throat and forehead, and a red belly patch. Often travels in noisy family groups.
Yellow-headed Blackbird
A striking North American blackbird. Males have a brilliant yellow head and chest contrasting with a black body. They nest in colonies over water, known for their harsh, grating calls.
Yellow-headed Caracara
A common bird of prey in Central and South America. It is a cream-colored bird with brown wings and a dark eye-stripe. It is an opportunistic feeder, often seen walking on the ground.
Yellow-hooded Blackbird
A South American blackbird where the male sports a brilliant yellow head and bib, contrasting with its glossy black body. They are highly social, nesting in noisy marsh colonies.
Yellow-legged Gull
A large gull common around the Mediterranean and Western Europe. As its name suggests, it is identified by its bright yellow legs, combined with a gray back and powerful yellow bill.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
One of the most common and versatile warblers in North America. It is easily identified in all seasons by its bright yellow rump patch. It can digest the wax in bayberries, allowing it to winter farther north than most warblers.
Yellow-shouldered Blackbird
A critically endangered blackbird endemic to Puerto Rico. It is a glossy black bird with a distinct, bright yellow patch on its shoulder. Threatened by nest parasitism and habitat loss.
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
A large, impressive cockatoo from southeastern Australia. It is dark brown-black with distinctive yellow cheek patches and yellow panels in its long tail. Has a loud, wailing call.
Yellow-throated Vireo
A stocky North American vireo with a bright yellow throat and breast and bold white “spectacles.” It moves slowly through the canopy, singing a rich, burry song.
Yellow-throated Warbler
A striking warbler of the southeastern U.S. with a bright yellow throat, gray back, and bold black-and-white face pattern. Unusually for a warbler, it often forages by creeping along branches like a nuthatch.
Yellow-throated Fulvetta
A small, drab songbird found in the mountains of China and the Himalayas. It is a social bird, typically moving through the undergrowth in active, chattering flocks.
Yellow-throated Miner
A bold, noisy, and highly social honeyeater from Australia. Gray-bodied with yellow patches on its face and wings. They live in large family groups and aggressively defend their territories.
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
A medium-sized Australian honeyeater, easily recognized by the brilliant yellow tuft of feathers behind its eye. It is an active and vocal bird, often found in noisy social groups.
Yellow-vented Bulbul
An extremely common and adaptable songbird in Southeast Asia. It is a brown-and-white bird with a distinctive bright yellow patch under its tail. Known for its cheerful, bubbling song.
Yellow-wattled Lapwing
A ground-dwelling wader found in the Indian subcontinent. It has a distinctive fleshy yellow wattle in front of each eye and long yellow legs. Emits a sharp, pity-to-do-it call.
Yapacana Antbird
A small, elusive bird found in a very restricted range in Venezuela and Colombia. It has gray and rufous plumage and forages for insects near the ground in specialized forest habitats.
Yarrell’s Siskin
A small, brightly colored finch from Brazil and Venezuela, named after naturalist William Yarrell. The male has a black cap, yellow body, and black wings. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping.
Yemen Linnet
A finch endemic to the highlands of Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is a streaky brown bird, similar to other linnets but adapted to its harsh, high-mountain environment.
Yemen Thrush
A plain, dark brown thrush endemic to the mountains of southwestern Arabia. It is a shy bird, often seen hopping on the ground searching for invertebrates. Its population is vulnerable.
Yemen Warbler
A small, secretive warbler found only in the highlands of Yemen and nearby Saudi Arabia. It has a plain grayish-brown appearance and forages for insects within dense shrubbery.
Yucatan Jay
A striking social jay from the Yucatán Peninsula. Adults are black with bright blue wings and tail, while juveniles have a white body and yellow bill, a unique case of delayed plumage maturation.
Yucatan Vireo
A resident vireo of the Yucatán Peninsula and nearby islands. It is a rather drab, grayish-olive bird with a heavy bill, found foraging deliberately for insects in coastal vegetation.
Yucatan Wren
A large, boisterous wren restricted to a narrow coastal strip on the Yucatán Peninsula. It has a heavily streaked back and a bold white eyebrow. Lives and forages in social groups.
Yuhina, Taiwan
A small, crested songbird endemic to the mountains of Taiwan. It has a distinctive chocolate-brown and white crest. Often found in large, noisy flocks, sometimes with other species.
Yuhina, Whiskered
A sociable songbird of the Himalayas, known for its prominent crest and yellow neck collar. It has dark “whiskers” on its face and travels in active, chattering flocks.
Yungas Dove
A large, robust dove of western South America. It is similar to the Mourning Dove but is larger, darker, and has a bright blue patch of skin around its eye.
Yungas Pygmy Owl
A tiny, fierce owl of the Yungas forests in the Andes. It is often active during the day and has false “eyespots” on the back of its head to deter predators.