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Platte River Status: A common and widely-distributed migrant and summer resident throughout the study area. Occurrence dates at the Mormon Island Crane Meadows, Hall County, extend from 26 April to 27 September. Tout (1947) found common yellowthroat in Lincoln County during 28 April to 11 October. Rosche (1979) reported common yellowthroat in the lower North Platte River Valley during 23 April to 3 October.

Breeding Range: A common (locally abundant) nesting species in the Platte River Valley physiographic region west to Keith County; fairly common elsewhere along the Platte River system. Fairly common on the Eastern Plain and Dissected Plain; uncommon and local in the Sandhills and on the Western Plain.

Breeding Population: The population in 1979-1980 was estimated at 16,500 nesting pairs, which made up 0.5% of the total bird numbers on the study area those years.

Habitat: Common yellowthroat is ubiquitous in its selection of nesting habitat. Mean nesting densities were highest in river channel island (54.7 pairs/km²), followed by prairie wetland (40.7 pairs/km²), shelterbelt (30.5 pairs/km²), lowland forest (10.2 pairs/km²), wet prairie (2.5 pairs/km²), alfalfa (1.0 pairs/km²), domestic hayland (0.5 pairs/km²), residential (0.5 pairs/km²), and upland prairie (0.2 pairs/km²). Tout (1947) found nesting common yellowthroat in Lincoln County most frequently in dense growths of cattails and various rushes bordering natural basin wetlands in the Sandhills, and in heavy undergrowth adjacent to river channels. Kantrud and Kologiski (1982) characterized common yellowthroat nesting habitat in the Northern Great Plains as light to moderately grazed grasslands where wild rose, lead plant, western snowberry, Kentucky bluegrass, and green needlegrass were the dominant plant species. Johnson (1972, 1973, 1974) found the largest breeding densities of common yellowthroat in central North Dakota associated with idle grasslands. Faanes (1983) reported that in western North Dakota, highest breeding densities occurred in mature wooded draws supporting lush herbaceous ground cover and sparse shrub density. Edge shrubs supported 300 birds per km² in southern Illinois (Graber and Graber 1963).

Effect of Habitat Alteration: Because of the ubiquitous distribution of this species among habitats during the nesting season, we believe that overall impacts from habitat alteration have been slight. Probably the greatest impact to common yellowthroat numbers comes from overgrazing of native grasslands, as evidenced by Kantrud and Kologiski's (1982) finding of preference for lightly to moderately grazed native grasslands.

Nesting Data: Lingle found a dead hatchling at the Mormon Island Crane Meadows on 18 June, and an adult with a fledgling was observed there 11 August. Short (1961) found a nest containing three common yellowthroat eggs and five brown-headed cowbird eggs at Gothenburg, Dawson County. Kansas egg dates range from 11 May to 10 June (Johnsgard 1979). Stewart (1975) reported that the probable nesting season in North Dakota extends from early June to mid August.