There is a triangular black mask about the eye. The breast and belly are white tinged with yellow and with contrasting black streaks along the sides. The back is black with two light stripes.
Wing bars are present, but tend to be fused into a single white patch.
The female is similar to the breeding male but is duller and not so contrasting. The presence of light streaks on the back is characteristic of the immatures of the Blackburnian Warbler. The orange coloration, whether bright or dull, is usually diagnostic for the Blackburnian Warbler. Fall individuals of the Blackburnian Warbler, particularly the immatures, might be mistaken for the Black-throated Green Warbler . However the light streaking on the back of females, fall males, and immatures of the Blackburnian Warbler should separate its from the unstreaked Black-throated Green.