The head and underside of the Prothonotary Warbler is yellow-orange.
Wing bars are absent.
The feathers on the underside of the tail are white. Similar to the female. The absence of wing bars and the blue-gray wings will distinguish from any other North American species of warbler. The species ranges as far west as eastern Texas and Oklahoma. This species occurs in aquatic habitats with trees such as wooded swamps, flooded bottomland, and streams crowded with dead trees.