14 Green Birds in Pennsylvania You Can Spot in Your Backyard (With Photos)

Did you know that Pennsylvania hosts over fifteen bird species with stunning green plumage that regularly visit backyard feeders and gardens?

You’ll discover these emerald-feathered neighbors are more common than you might think, from the tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird with its shimmering green back to the surprising green head of a male Mallard.

Whether you’re a seasoned birdwatcher or just starting to notice the colorful visitors in your yard, this guide will help you confidently identify each green bird species that calls Pennsylvania home.

Green Birds in Pennsylvania You Can Spot in Your Backyard

1. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) showcases one of nature’s most brilliant green displays with its shimmering emerald back and crown that catches sunlight like jewels.

Males feature the iconic ruby-red throat that appears almost black in poor lighting, while females display more subtle greenish-yellow flanks with white-tipped tail feathers.

Key Identification Features:

• Bright emerald or golden-green back and crown
• Males: Iridescent red throat, forked black tail
• Females: Speckled throat, rounded tail with white tips
• Size: 3.7 inches, weighing only 0.11 ounces

Where to Spot Them: These tiny acrobats frequent nectar feeders, trumpet vine, and bee balm from April through October. You’ll often hear their distinctive wing buzzing before you see them hovering at flowers.

Pro Tip: Set up red tubular feeders filled with sugar water (1:4 ratio) to attract these emerald gems to your backyard consistently.

2. Mallard (Male)

While you might not immediately think “green bird” when considering waterfowl, male Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sport one of the most recognizable green features in Pennsylvania – their glossy bottle-green head that contrasts beautifully with their white collar and chestnut breast.

Key Identification Features:

• Iridescent green head and neck
• White collar separating green head from reddish-brown chest
• Yellow bill and orange feet
• Blue wing patches (speculum) visible in flight

Where to Spot Them: Mallards frequent ponds, lakes, rivers, and even suburban retention ponds throughout Pennsylvania year-round. They’re particularly common in parks with water features.

Feeding Habits: These dabbling ducks feed on aquatic plants, seeds, and small invertebrates. They’ll often tip forward while feeding, showing their green heads clearly.

3. Wood Duck (Male)

The male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) presents one of North America’s most spectacular displays of iridescent green plumage, featuring emerald and purple hues that shimmer across their ornate head crest and back markings.

Key Identification Features:

• Multicolored head with green and purple iridescence
• Distinctive white throat markings and chin strap
• Green wing patches with white trailing edges
• Ornate crest that can be raised or lowered

Where to Spot Them: Wood Ducks prefer wooded swamps, shallow lakes, and tree-lined ponds. Look for them near beaver ponds and forested wetlands throughout Pennsylvania.

Nesting Behavior: These cavity nesters use old woodpecker holes or nest boxes near water, making them excellent candidates for backyard pond areas with mature trees.

4. Green Heron

Despite its name, the Green Heron (Butorides virescens) displays more of a greenish-black cap and back with subtle green iridescence that becomes more apparent in good lighting conditions.

Key Identification Features:

• Greenish-black crown and back with subtle iridescence
• Chestnut neck and breast
• Yellow-orange legs that brighten during breeding season
• Compact, stocky build for a heron

Where to Spot Them: Green Herons frequent shallow wetlands, pond edges, and slow-moving streams. They’re often seen hunched motionless along water’s edge waiting for fish.

Behavior Notes: These patient hunters will sometimes drop insects on the water surface to attract fish – one of the few tool-using behaviors among North American birds.

5. Black-throated Green Warbler

The Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) displays one of the most distinctive green and black combinations among Pennsylvania’s warblers, with its bright olive-green back contrasting sharply against its black throat and white cheeks.

Key Identification Features:

• Bright olive-green back and crown
• Black throat and upper breast (males) or streaked throat (females)
• Bright white cheeks and belly
• Two white wing bars
• Yellow wash on face and sides

Where to Spot Them: Black-throated Green Warblers prefer mature coniferous and mixed forests, particularly areas with hemlock, pine, and spruce trees throughout Pennsylvania.

Song Recognition: Their distinctive “zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee” song, often described as sounding like “trees, trees, murmuring trees,” makes them easier to locate than many other warbler species.

Migration Notes: These warblers arrive in Pennsylvania during late April and are most easily spotted during spring migration when they’re actively singing to establish territories.

6. Pine Warbler

Pine Warblers (Setophaga pinus) display yellow-green tones throughout their plumage, with males showing brighter coloration than females and juveniles.

Their olive-green backs blend seamlessly with their preferred pine forest habitat.

Key Identification Features:

• Yellow-green upperparts with varying intensity
• Yellow throat and breast (brighter on males)
• White wing bars and tail spots
• Sturdy bill adapted for gleaning insects from bark

Where to Spot Them: As their name suggests, Pine Warblers strongly prefer pine forests and mixed coniferous woods throughout Pennsylvania.

Year-Round Residents: Unlike many warblers, some Pine Warblers remain in Pennsylvania year-round, particularly in the southern portions of the state.

7. Orange-crowned Warbler

Orange-crowned Warblers (Leiothlypis celata) present a subtle drab greenish overall appearance that can make them challenging to identify among Pennsylvania’s more colorful warblers.

Key Identification Features:

• Drab olive-green to grayish-green overall
• Faint orange crown patch (rarely visible)
• Yellow undertail coverts
• Broken white eye ring

Where to Spot Them: These warblers prefer brushy areas, forest edges, and second-growth woods during migration periods through Pennsylvania.

Identification Challenge: The orange crown patch is seldom visible, making overall coloration and behavior the best identification clues.

8. Philadelphia Vireo

Philadelphia Vireos (Vireo philadelphicus) display olive-green backs that complement their yellow underparts, creating one of the more colorful vireo species that pass through Pennsylvania during migration.

Key Identification Features:

• Olive-green back and wings
• Yellow underparts (brighter than Warbling Vireo)
• White eye line and lores
• Thicker bill than similar warblers

Where to Spot Them: These vireos prefer dense young woodlands and forest edges, methodically searching upper tree branches for caterpillars and insects.

Migration Notes: Philadelphia Vireos are more commonly seen during fall migration (August-September) than spring in Pennsylvania.

9. Red-eyed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceus) feature olive-green backs and wings that provide excellent camouflage as they forage methodically through tree canopies throughout Pennsylvania’s forests.

Key Identification Features:

• Olive-green upperparts
• White underparts with subtle yellow wash on flanks
• Gray crown with black border
• Red iris (visible at close range)

Where to Spot Them: Red-eyed Vireos inhabit mature deciduous and mixed forests, where their persistent singing makes them easier to locate than see.

Vocal Behavior: Known as one of North America’s most persistent singers, males can deliver over 20,000 songs per day during breeding season.

10. White-eyed Vireo

White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus) display greenish upperparts that blend with their preferred dense thicket habitat, making them one of the more secretive green birds in Pennsylvania.

Key Identification Features:

• Greenish-olive upperparts
• White iris (distinctive when visible)
• Yellow spectacles around the eyes
• Two distinct white wing bars

Where to Spot Them: These vireos prefer dense shrublands, forest edges, and overgrown fields with thick vegetation for cover.

Behavioral Notes: White-eyed Vireos are excellent mimics, incorporating calls of other bird species into their varied song repertoire.

11. Female Scarlet Tanager

While male Scarlet Tanagers (Piranga olivacea) sport brilliant red plumage, females display olive-green and yellow coloration that provides excellent camouflage while nesting and foraging.

Key Identification Features:

• Olive-green upperparts
• Yellow-green underparts
• Dark wings and tail
• Thick, conical bill adapted for eating fruits and insects

Where to Spot Them: Female Scarlet Tanagers prefer mature deciduous forests, particularly oak-hickory woods throughout Pennsylvania.

Seasonal Presence: These neotropical migrants arrive in Pennsylvania during late April and depart by early October for wintering grounds in South America.

12. Female Summer Tanager

Female Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra) present yellow-green overall coloration that’s more uniform than the Scarlet Tanager, creating a distinctive identification profile among Pennsylvania’s green birds.

Key Identification Features:

• Yellow-green overall coloration
• Heavier bill than Scarlet Tanager
• No wing bars
• Longer tail than Scarlet Tanager

Where to Spot Them: Summer Tanagers prefer open woodlands, particularly areas with oak trees, throughout Pennsylvania during breeding season.

Feeding Specialization: These tanagers are bee and wasp specialists, catching these insects in flight and removing stingers before eating.

13. American Goldfinch (Transitional Plumage)

American Goldfinches in transitional plumage often display greenish-yellow coloration that can confuse birdwatchers expecting the bright yellow breeding plumage or dull winter colors.

Key Identification Features:

• Olive-green to yellow-green overall
• Black wings with white wing bars
• Short, conical seed-cracking bill
• Undulating flight pattern

Where to Spot Them: Goldfinches frequent weedy fields, gardens with seed-producing flowers, and thistle feeders throughout Pennsylvania year-round.

Seasonal Changes: The greenish appearance is most common during fall molt (August-October) as birds transition between breeding and winter plumages.

14. Budgerigar – Escaped Birds

Occasionally, escaped pet Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) birds appear in Pennsylvania, displaying bright green plumage with black barring that makes them unmistakable among native species.

Key Identification Features:

• Bright green body with black barring on wings and back
• Yellow head (wild-type coloration)
• Blue cheek patches and tail
• Small, parrot-like curved bill

Where to Spot Them: Escaped budgies typically appear near residential areas, often visiting seed feeders before succumbing to Pennsylvania’s harsh winters.

Important Note: These are non-native escaped pets that cannot survive Pennsylvania winters, making any sightings temporary and localized.

Common Mistakes in Green Bird Identification

Confusing Warblers with Vireos: Remember that warblers have thin, pointed bills for catching insects, while vireos have thicker bills with small hooks for gripping prey.

Overlooking Lighting Conditions: Green plumage can appear dramatically different in various lighting conditions. Early morning and late afternoon light often reveal true colors best.

Focusing Only on Color: Size, behavior, and habitat preferences are equally important for accurate identification of green birds in Pennsylvania.

Best Times and Places for Green Bird Watching

Spring Migration (April-May): Peak time for warbler diversity, with multiple green species passing through Pennsylvania simultaneously.

Summer Breeding Season (June-July): Resident species are most active and vocal, making identification easier through both sight and sound.

Fall Migration (August-September): Many species show transitional plumages that can include more green tones than their breeding colors.

Start with the most common species like Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and American Goldfinches, then gradually expand your identification skills to include the more challenging warblers and vireos.

Each successful identification will deepen your appreciation for Pennsylvania’s diverse and beautiful green bird community.