Diet

• Primarily insects and other small invertebrates, including beetles, caterpillars, flies, mosquitoes, ants, spiders, and leafhoppers.

• Occasionally feeds on small berries and seeds, particularly during migration and winter.

• Forages low in dense vegetation, gleaning insects from reeds, shrubs, grasses, and wetland plants.

Range

• Breeds throughout most of North America, from southern Canada across the United States and into northern and central Mexico.

• Winters from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.

• A common winter visitor in the Zihuatanejo region, where it inhabits marshes, mangroves, riparian vegetation, wet meadows, brushy fields, and dense thickets.

• Prefers areas with dense, low vegetation near water.

Male / Female

• Male: Bright yellow throat and breast with a distinctive black facial mask bordered above by a grey band; olive-green upperparts.

• Female: Olive-brown upperparts and yellowish underparts but lacks the black facial mask; overall duller than the male.

• Juveniles: Similar to adult females, with buffier underparts and no facial mask.

• The sexes are easily distinguished by the male's conspicuous black mask.

Size

• Length: 11–13 cm (4.3–5.1 in)

• Wingspan: 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in)

• Weight: 8–11 g