A gregarious resident of dense tangles and thickets in otherwise open habitats; not found in dense forest or mangroves. The gray body contrasts sharply with its yellow head, but note that some birds have yellow on the chest as well. Prothonotary Warblers are somewhat similar, but are mostly yellow below with a green (not gray) back. Pine Warblers have a green back, white wingbars, and are usually more extensively yellow below. Song is a series of raspy buzzy notes. Call notes similar to song, but are given singularly or without pattern.