The Altamira yellowthroat (''Geothlypis flavovelata'') is a

New World warbler The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae and are restricted to the New World. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers. Most ...

. It is a resident breeding

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Gulf slope of northeastern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

.Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ''New World Warblers'' It is closely related to

common yellowthroat The common yellowthroat (''Geothlypis trichas'') is a New World warbler. In the U.S. Midwest, it is also known as the yellow bandit. It is an abundant breeder in North America, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico. The genus name ''Geot ...

Belding's yellowthroat Belding's yellowthroat (''Geothlypis beldingi'') is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the southern Baja California Peninsula (Mexico). It is closely related to common yellowthroat, Altamira yellowthroat and Bahama yellow ...

, and

Bahama yellowthroat The Bahama yellowthroat (''Geothlypis rostrata'') is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the Bahamas. Taxonomy It is closely related to common yellowthroat, Altamira yellowthroat and Belding's yellowthroat, and is also consi ...

, with which it forms a superspecies. It has been considered conspecific with these species. The Altamira yellowthroat is long and has a yellow-green back and bright yellow belly. The adult male has a black face mask and yellow crown. Females are similar, but lack the black mask and have an olive crown. This species is easily distinguished from

wintering Winter is the coldest season of the year in Polar regions of Earth, polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring (season), spring. The tilt of Axial tilt#Earth, Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a Hemi ...

common yellowthroats by its uniform yellow underparts, in contrast to common's white belly. Males' yellow forehead bands are diagnostic. Vocalizations are very similar to those of common yellowthroat and are not readily distinguishable to the human ear. Altamira and common yellowthroats, however, do not respond to tapes of one another's songs. The species is resident in freshwater

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

es (including canals and drainage ditches), especially those with

cattail ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in A ...

s. Little is known of its breeding or feeding habits, but other

yellowthroat The yellowthroats are New World warblers in the genus ''Geothlypis''. Most members of the group have localised ranges in Mexico and Central America, but the masked yellowthroat has an extensive South American distribution, while the common yell ...

s build a cup nest low in vegetation and feed on

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s, usually captured in dense vegetation, so it is likely that the Altamira yellowthroat does the same. There has been a decline in numbers of this localized bird due to loss of habitat.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1536048

Altamira yellowthroat The Altamira yellowthroat (''Geothlypis flavovelata'') is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeding bird endemic (ecology), endemic to the Gulf slope of northeastern Mexico.Curson, Quinn and Beadle, ''New World Warblers'' It is closely rel ...

Birds of Mexico Endemic birds of Mexico

Taxa named by Robert Ridgway Veracruz moist forests