Yellow is a color that brings joy and energy with it. And while it does appear somewhat frequently in the natural world, yellow isn’t a color seen too terribly often on animals. But as you’ll discover in a moment, there are still quite a few memorable yellow animals in the world!
Here are some of nature’s most beautiful animals with yellow coloration:
1. American Yellow Warbler
- Latin name: Setophaga petechia
- Habitat: Can be found across most of North America and northern South America
- Size: About 4″-7″ long
- Diet: Mostly caterpillars, though they also will eat other invertebrates and small pieces of fruit
- Colorful feature: The exact coloration of the yellow warbler will vary depending on the subspecies. However, males in breeding plumage are an especially bright lemon yellow.
This beautiful bird has a pretty and musical song. It’s also quite beneficial to humans thanks to its voracious appetite for insects. And due to its large range, this species is divided into many different subspecies: there are 35 subspecies of the American yellow warbler!
2. Fire Salamander
- Latin name: Salamandra salamandra
- Habitat: Forested, often hilly areas of central Europe
- Size: About 6″-10″ long
- Diet: Mostly insects, slugs, and spiders, though they also eat smaller frogs and newts
- Colorful feature: Each fire salamander has its own unique pattern. The base color is deep black, and there are yellow spots or stripes. Some individuals also have hints of orange or red.
True to its name, the fire salamander is incredibly bright. Its coloring serves a very practical purpose: it warns potential predators that it secretes a powerfully toxic alkaloid. The fire salamander is especially long-lived compared to related species. One individual lived to be over 50 years old in a German natural history museum!
3. Yellow Boxfish
- Latin name: Ostracion cubicum
- Habitat: Coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and southeastern Atlantic Ocean
- Size: Up to 18″ long
- Diet: Mostly marine algae, though it also will feed on aquatic animals
- Colorful feature: This beautiful fish is bright yellow with dark spots. When it’s young, it’s very bright. But older fish often fade to gray-brown with touches of yellow.
If you take one look at the yellow boxfish, you can tell that its body is not aerodynamic at all. However, thanks to the fish’s unique style of swimming, it’s able to make up for its very boxy body. Mercedes-Benz released a car concept based on the shape of the boxfish, as they assumed its speed was due to its shape. But unfortunately, research found that the fish’s agility was in spite of its shape, not because of it!
4. Buff-Tailed Bumblebee
- Latin name: Bombus terrestris
- Habitat: Can be found across much of Europe
- Size: About 0.4″-0.7″ long
- Diet: Nectar and pollen
- Colorful feature: These pretty, fuzzy bumblebees have bodies marked with black and yellow bands. Their tails are soft buff-white.
There are many different species of bumblebee, and this one is the most common one in Europe. Like other bee species, they have a complex social structure with a queen bee, worker bees, and drones.
5. Western Tanager
- Latin name: Piranga ludoviciana
- Habitat: Mostly wooded areas in western North America, though they winter in parts of Central America
- Size: About 6.3″-7.5″ long
- Diet: Mostly fruit and different types of insects
- Colorful feature: Male western tanagers are a lot more colorful than females. Their bodies are a bright sunny yellow and their heads are bright red. Their black wings and tails form a sharp contrast with their bright bodies.
Though its name remains the same, the western tanager has been moved from the tanager family to the cardinal family. That’s because taxonomic research has determined that these birds are more closely related to cardinals and similar birds.
6. Albino Burmese Python
- Latin name: Python molurus bivittatus
- Habitat: Areas near water in South Asia and Southeast Asia
- Size: Up to 16′ long
- Diet: Mostly mammals and birds, though they sometimes eat reptiles and amphibians
- Colorful feature: Wild-type Burmese pythons are generally dark in color. But as you can see in the photo, albino individuals are patterned in yellow and white!
Male and female Burmese pythons reach similar lengths. However, females tend to be bulkier. One female, named “Baby,” was over 18 feet long and weighed 403 pounds. Though these massive snakes are native to Asia, they have become an invasive species in Florida. That’s likely because a breeding facility was destroyed by a hurricane in 1992, so several Burmese pythons escaped into the wild.
7. Axolotl
- Latin name: Ambystoma mexicanum
- Habitat: Freshwater lakes in Mexico, though they are also kept domestically
- Size: About 6″-18″ long
- Diet: Various small aquatic animals
- Colorful feature: Though axolotls are frequently dark in nature, captive individuals have been bred in a variety of colors. The one in the photo is close to the color of a lemon peel!
In the wild, the axolotl is classified as being critically endangered. Lake drainage and water pollution have led to habitat destruction, and invasive species of fish also prey on the axolotls. However, since these aquatic salamanders are kept as pets and used in scientific research, they’re unlikely to disappear completely.
8. Apricot Sulphur
- Latin name: Phoebis argante
- Habitat: Various habitat types from Mexico to Peru, in Cuba, and in the Antilles
- Size: Wingspan about 2.1″-2.6″
- Diet: Mostly nectar and mud
- Colorful feature: The undersides of this butterfly’s wings are very bright yellow with a few tan markings. The dorsal side is a color between yellow and orange, much like the color of an apricot.
Only male apricot sulphur butterflies have the bright coloration described above. Females are very pale yellow or white, so they often look like a different species to the untrained eye. Groups of both males and females can be found around mud puddles, obtaining vitamins and minerals from the soil.
9. Oleander Aphid
- Latin name: Aphis nerii
- Habitat: Mostly various tropical and Mediterranean climates across the world
- Size: About 0.08″ long
- Diet: Mostly oleander, periwinkle, and milkweed plants
- Colorful feature: Like other aphid species, these bugs are especially tiny. However, their bodies are an extremely vivid yellow. The legs are dark brown or black. They often form large colonies on plants, creating a conspicuous patch of yellow.
The oleander aphid’s method of reproduction is different from that of most other species. Females give birth to live young, and they do so from unfertilized egg cells. Scientists have never observed a male oleander aphid in the wild, although they have been able to produce males in the laboratory.
10. Climbing Mantella
- Latin name: Mantella laevigata
- Habitat: Tropical and subtropical forests in Madagascar
- Size: About 0.86″-1.14″ long
- Diet: Mostly ants
- Colorful feature: This beautifully colored frog looks similar to many of the poison dart frogs. Its base color is black, and it has small, irregular blue spots on the legs and belly. The tops of its head and back are bright sunny yellow.
This beautiful, small frog is one of the many colorful species that can only be found in Madagascar. It is currently not classified as being at risk of extinction. However, loss of habitat and collection for the pet trade are beginning to have a negative effect on its population.
11. Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish
- Latin name: Forcipiger flavissimus
- Habitat: Tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific region
- Size: Up to about 8.9″ long
- Diet: Mostly small marine crustaceans
- Colorful feature: This striking angelfish has some of the most unique coloring in the sea! Most of its body is bright yellow. Its face has a beautifully high-contrast pattern: the top portion is black, while the bottom portion is white. There is a tiny black spot on the rear fin.
This butterflyfish might look familiar; it is often found in the aquarium trade. And to the untrained eye, it may look like an angelfish. However, keepers of this species should be cautious: these fish are incredibly territorial.
12. Yellow-Crowned Bishop
- Latin name: Euplectes afer
- Habitat: Mostly grasslands and similar habitats in Africa, though it has been introduced to parts of Europe, Asia, and North America
- Size: About 3.7″-4.1″ long
- Diet: Mostly grains, seeds, and insects
- Colorful feature: The males of this species develop a wonderfully bright color pattern during the breeding season. Most of their bodies become fantastically bright yellow, and their undersides are jet black.
When breeding season ends and male yellow-crowned bishops lose their lovely coloring, they are almost impossible to distinguish from females. Both sexes are dull, sparrow-like brown. Though there’s some patterning, it’s subtle enough to allow the bird to camouflage.
13. Yellow Geyri Uromastyx
- Latin name: Uromastyx geyri
- Habitat: Rocky, semi-arid parts of northern Africa
- Size: About 13″ long
- Diet: Mostly various types of fruit and vegetation
- Colorful feature: This uromastyx species comes in two color phases: red and yellow. The yellow lizards are close to being neon, although some have brown or tan mottling.
These gentle, relatively slow-moving lizards make good pets. And like many pet lizards, they have been selectively bred to come in various bright colors. Males are usually brighter than females; females will often have spots or freckles of bright color on their backs. Both sexes have spiky, club-like tails they use to protect themselves from predators.
14. Yellow Canary
- Latin name: Crithagra flaviventris
- Habitat: Scrubby or semi-desert areas in parts of southern Africa, though it has also been introduced to the remote islands of St. Helena and Ascension
- Size: About 5″ long
- Diet: Mostly seeds and other types of plant matter, though it may sometimes eat insects
- Colorful feature: The exact coloring of this pretty little bird varies across its range. In some areas, males are pure yellow. In other areas, males and females have olive green backs and streaks of olive across the body.
The yellow canary isn’t the only yellow-colored canary in Africa, and it’s easy to confuse with a couple of other species. Its range overlaps with that of the very similar brimstone canary, and both of these species look a bit like the yellow-fronted canary.
15. Albino Red-Eared Slider
- Latin name: Trachemys scripta elegans
- Habitat: Native to areas near water in the midwestern United States and northern Mexico, though it has become an invasive species elsewhere
- Size: Up to 16″ long, though it’s usually 6″-8″ long
- Diet: Various types of plant matter as well as small animals
- Colorful feature: Like many other albino reptiles, the albino red-eared slider has the same patterning as turtles with wild-type coloring. However, the pattern is usually a pretty soft yellow mixed with white.
If you’ve ever known someone with a pet turtle, chances are good that it was a red-eared slider! This is the most popular pet turtle in the world. But thanks to the release or escape of pets, it has also become a harmful invasive species in many parts of the world.
16. Phyllidia multituberculata
- Latin name: Phyllidia multituberculata
- Habitat: Tropical areas of the Indian Ocean
- Size: Up to about 3″ long
- Diet: Primarily sea sponges
- Colorful feature: Sea slugs are some of the most colorful animals in the world, and this one is no exception! Its body is deep black, and it is covered with dazzling yellow tubercles.
Like many sea slugs, this one does not have a common name. And even though it’s small, its bright colors make it easy to spot while diving or snorkeling.
17. Yellow-Banded Poison Dart Frog
- Latin name: Dendrobates leucomelas
- Habitat: Rainforests near water in northern South America
- Size: About 1.2″-2″ long
- Diet: Various types of insects
- Colorful feature: This beautiful frog is banded and patterned with black and yellow. Many individuals are about 50% black and 50% yellow. But as you can see in the photo, some individuals are mostly yellow!
Yellow-banded poison dart frogs might be cute, but they can be ferocious toward members of their own species! They live in small groups and defend their territories from other groups. If a foreign group of frogs trespasses onto another group’s territory, the entire group will attack to defend its home.
18. Banana Nudibranch
- Latin name: Aegires minor
- Habitat: Coral reefs in the Indo-West Pacific
- Size: Up to about 5.5″ long
- Diet: Sponges in the Leucettidae family
- Colorful feature: This appropriately-named sea slug is one of the brightest creatures on the list! It’s an almost-neon yellow with a few thin, irregular black lines.
This sea slug’s coloration isn’t the only striking thing about it. Its gills are located in the center of the body, and their pompom-like fringes are bright yellow like the rest of the slug. Since the banana nudibranch is both brighter and larger than many sea slugs, it’s especially easy to spot on coral reefs.
19. Prothonotary Warbler
- Latin name: Protonotaria citrea
- Habitat: Hardwood swamps in the eastern United States and southeastern Ontario, though it winters in Central America, parts of northern South America, and the West Indies
- Size: About 5.1″ long
- Diet: Primarily snails and insects
- Colorful feature: Both males and females of this species have brilliant golden-yellow feathers. Males have orangish heads, and both sexes have slightly darker backs, wings, and tails.
You might wonder where this colorful bird’s name comes from. It is named for prothonotaries, or Byzantine court notaries, who wore golden yellow robes. This interesting name has replaced a former name used for this bird, the golden swamp warbler.
20. Panamanian Golden Frog
- Latin name: Atelopus zeteki
- Habitat: Along streams in the cloud forests of western and central Panama
- Size: About 1.4″-2.5″ long
- Diet: Various types of small arthropods
- Colorful feature: This beautiful frog’s whole body is a rich golden yellow, and it is covered in medium-sized, irregular black spots.
Somewhat confusingly, the Panamanian golden frog is actually a toad. Like many rainforest frogs and toads, it is highly toxic. It secretes several different types of toxins, many of which are alkaloids. These toxins have been tested on mice, and large enough doses have been found to cause death. Exposed mice died due to respiratory and circulatory failure 20-30 minutes after coming into contact with the poisons.
21. Yellow Prawn Goby
- Latin name: Cryptocentrus cinctus
- Habitat: Shallow lagoons and coastal bays in the Western Pacific
- Size: Up to about 4″ long
- Diet: Mostly small aquatic crustaceans
- Colorful feature: Despite the name, the yellow prawn-goby varies significantly in terms of color. The brightest individuals are pure and brilliant yellow, while some fish are gray to brown.
This colorful fish is popular among keepers of saltwater aquariums thanks to how easy it is to keep. It can live comfortably in even a 20-gallon tank, and it will happily eat dried brine shrimp or various types of commercial fish food. It tends to do very well in community tanks with tiger pistol shrimp.
22. Roatan Vine Snake
- Latin name: Oxybelis wilsoni
- Habitat: Can be found across Isla de Roatan in Honduras
- Size: About 60″-80″ long
- Diet: Mostly various types of small animals
- Colorful feature: This striking vine snake is usually tan to golden yellow in color. As you can see from the picture, the upper part of the body is typically darker, while the chin and belly are brighter yellow.
This beautiful vine snake is a recently-discovered species. Though it’s closely related to other South American vine snakes, its color sets it apart from most species. Vine snakes are usually green, but this one is yellow. Notably, this snake and other South American vine snakes aren’t closely related to Asian vine snakes (even though they look similar).
23. Gold Laced Nudibranch
- Latin name: Halgerda terramtuentis
- Habitat: Mainly in warm waters off the coast of Hawaii
- Size: About 1.6″ long
- Diet: Primarily sea sponges
- Colorful feature: This stunning nudibranch is one of the most beautiful sea slugs in the world. Its body is primarily white, though it is marked with a golden yellow, lace-like pattern across the body. Its raised white tubercles make it look like it’s glowing!
Like other sea slugs, this one is a mollusk without a shell. Its bright colors make it easy to recognize. And if you’re going for a dive off the coast of Hawaii, you just might see one!
24. Long Hover Fly
- Latin name: Sphaerophoria scripta
- Habitat: Can be found across much of the world, including the Palearctic, Nearctic, and Indomalayan realms
- Size: About 0.28″-0.47″ long
- Diet: Mostly pollen and nectar
- Colorful feature: This bright fly looks a bit like a yellowjacket at first glance. Its glossy abdomen is marked with narrow bands of bright yellow and black. In the right light, its wings shine like glass.
These flies are somewhat unique in that females tend to be brighter than males, and their bands tend to be more distinct. They tend to grow up quickly, as they can go from egg to adult in as little as 16 days.
25. Great Tit
- Latin name: Parus major
- Habitat: Wooded areas of Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, and central Asia
- Size: About 5″-5.5″ long
- Diet: Mostly insects, though they will eat berries and seeds in winter
- Colorful feature: The exact coloration of the great tit depends on the subspecies. However, it usually has a distinctive bright yellow breast. In the middle of the breast, there’s a glossy black hourglass.
The great tit has one of the largest ranges of any species on the list. As a result, it can be divided into 15 different subspecies. In many of these subspecies, males are especially colorful, while females and juveniles have more of an olive cast.
26. Lemonpeel Angelfish
- Latin name: Centropyge flavissima
- Habitat: Warm waters in the Indo-Pacific region
- Size: About 5.5″ long
- Diet: Mostly marine algae
- Colorful feature: This bright fish is one of the most colorful angelfish species. It is approximately the color of a lemon peel, and its eyes are ringed in electric blue.
This striking angelfish is able to change sex if needed. It usually lives in groups of several females and one male. If no male is available, the dominant female of the group can become a male and reverse the change later. Thanks to its beautiful color, the lemonpeel angelfish is commonly kept as an aquarium pet.
27. Golden Conure
- Latin name: Guaruba guarouba
- Habitat: Relatively dry rainforests in Brazil
- Size: About 13″-14″ long
- Diet: Mostly fruit, seeds, buds, and some types of crops
- Colorful feature: This brightly-colored bird, also called the golden parakeet, has almost entirely golden-yellow plumage. However, the tips of its wings are very bright green. Just like most other conure species, male and female golden conures look alike.
Currently, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists this bird as being vulnerable to extinction. It faces threats from a range of sources: habitat destruction drives down population numbers, as does collecting birds to sell as pets. The birds are also hunted by local people because they tend to feed on crops.
28. Yellow Tree Monitor
- Latin name: Varanus reisingeri
- Habitat: Wooded parts of Indonesia
- Size: Up to about 3′ long
- Diet: Mostly small animals and carrion
- Colorful feature: As you can see in the photo, this beautiful lizard’s skin looks almost beaded. Though it’s mostly yellow, it does have a bit of black marbling.
Like other monitor lizards, the yellow tree monitor is sometimes kept as a pet by reptile enthusiasts. But these lizards are best left to experienced reptile keepers, as they have strict housing and feeding requirements. And since yellow tree monitors are fairly rare in the reptile trade, they tend to be fairly expensive.
29. Lemon Cichlid
- Latin name: Neolamprologus leleupi
- Habitat: Only found in Lake Tanganyika in Africa
- Size: Up to about 4″ long
- Diet: Various small aquatic invertebrates
- Colorful feature: As you can tell from the name, the lemon cichlid is a rich lemon yellow. Some individual fish are closer to being yellow-orange. Their pale, crystal-like eyes stand out against the deep color of their scales.
Like other cichlid species, the lemon cichlid is often kept as an aquarium fish. It does well when kept with some other cichlid species. Cichlids are known for their interest in what’s going on outside the aquarium, so if you’re looking for a somewhat interactive fish, this one might be a good choice.
30. Banana Slug
- Latin name: Ariolimax sp.
- Habitat: Mostly forest floors in western North America, though exact habitat depends on the individual species
- Size: About 6″-10″ long
- Diet: Dead plant materials, moss, and animal droppings
- Colorful feature: Most of us picture slugs as dull, slimy creatures. The banana slug may be slimy, but it’s certainly not dull! It’s usually a rich yellow close to the color of a banana peel.
The term “banana slug” refers to a few different species in the Ariolimax genus. These slugs are especially large and can live up to seven years in the wild. And while most are bright yellow, some banana slugs are brown, green, or white.
31. Two-Tailed Swallowtail
- Latin name: Papilio multicaudata
- Habitat: Can be found across much of western North America
- Size: Wingspan is about 3″-6.5″
- Diet: Mostly pollen and nectar
- Colorful feature: This beautiful butterfly is one of the most colorful members of the swallowtail family. Its wings are soft yellow with black markings, and there are small blue and orange markings on the tails. Females are usually more colorful than males.
This large butterfly’s name comes from the fact that each of its hindwings has two small tails. In other swallowtail species, each hindwing only has one tail. The eyespot markings near the tails are meant to trick predators. Some predators will attack the tail instead of the head, giving the butterfly a chance to escape.
32. Eyelash Viper
- Latin name: Bothriechis schlegelii
- Habitat: Tropical, densely forested parts of Central America and South America
- Size: About 22″-32″ long
- Diet: Various types of small animals
- Colorful feature: The eyelash viper comes in a range of different colors. Many individuals are a bright and vibrant yellow, and their textured scales add another level of interest to their coloring.
This snake’s name comes from the fact that it has eyelash-like scales above its eyes. Some South American villagers will tell you that the snake will “wink” at you after releasing venom. But this is impossible, as snakes don’t have eyelashes.
33. Southern Yellowjacket
- Latin name: Vespula squamosa
- Habitat: Can be found across eastern North America and parts of Central America
- Size: About 0.5″ long
- Diet: Smaller insects and animal carcasses
- Colorful feature: The yellowjacket is one of the brightest of the black and yellow arthropods. Its thorax and abdomen are marked with thin black and neon yellow lines. Since its body is hairless, it’s especially glossy.
The brightly-patterned yellowjacket is technically a species of wasp. And if you’ve ever been stung by one, you know why it’s considered to be a pest! If yellowjackets determine that their nest has been threatened, they are able to communicate with one another via pheromones to coordinate an attack on the offending person or animal.
34. Bluestripe Snapper
- Latin name: Lutjanus kasmira
- Habitat: Coral reefs in parts of the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Red Sea
- Size: Up to about 16″ long
- Diet: Various marine animals, algae, and other types of marine vegetation
- Colorful feature: This striking fish is especially noticeable when it swims in schools. Its body is bright yellow, and its sides are marked with four lengthwise stripes of bright blue.
This versatile fish is tasty enough to be sold as a commercial food fish, but it is also pretty enough to be a fairly common aquarium fish. Thanks to its beauty, it’s also a common game fish for those interested in sport fishing.
35. Yellow-Breasted Chat
- Latin name: Icteria virens
- Habitat: Can be found across most of North America, though it winters in most of Central America
- Size: About 6.7″-7.5″ long
- Diet: Largely insects and berries
- Colorful feature: The upperparts of the yellow-breasted chat are a nondescript taupe. But true to its name, its upper breast and chin are bright, sunny yellow.
If you live in part of the yellow-breasted chat’s natural range but don’t think you’ve seen one, you’re not alone! This is a shy species that’s especially good at not being seen. They can often be heard, though, and they seem to enjoy mimicking the songs of other birds.
36. Spotted Cucumber Beetle
- Latin name: Diabrotica undecimpunctata
- Habitat: Can be found across much of North America
- Size: About 0.2″ long
- Diet: Cucumber plants and other crop plants
- Colorful feature: This beetle’s body is bright yellow to yellow-green. Its contrasting markings make it a standout: its head and antennae are black, and it’s covered in black spots.
Though the spotted cucumber beetle looks like a ladybug, it’s extremely harmful to plants. The adults eat the leaves of cucumber plants, squash plants, and a range of other crops. The larvae feed on the roots of these same plants. In addition to harming crops by eating them, spotted cucumber beetles also spread plant diseases.
37. Striped Basilisk
- Latin name: Basiliscus vittatus
- Habitat: Can be found in much of Mexico, Central America, and parts of Colombia; it’s also been introduced to Florida
- Size: Up to about 24″ long
- Diet: Mostly various types of insects
- Colorful feature: This unique lizard is sometimes called the brown basilisk. And while its base color is dull, its stripes are bright: it has longitudinal, bright yellow stripes that look like racing stripes!
The striped basilisk has an unusual way of escaping predators: it can run on water! Though it can’t do this indefinitely, it can usually make it about 3 to 66 feet without sinking. It can do this thanks to web-like flaps on its feet.
38. American Goldfinch
- Latin name: Spinus tristis
- Habitat: Can be found across much of North America depending on the time of year
- Size: About 4.3″-5.5″ long
- Diet: Primarily seeds, though it will also eat buds, maple sap, and berries
- Colorful feature: Male goldfinches are especially bright thanks to carotenoid pigments in their diet. They are bright lemon yellow with black wings and caps.
The American goldfinch is popular with birders thanks to its bright colors. It’s easy to spot in residential areas and seems to especially enjoy visiting backyard bird feeders! In the winter, it becomes a bit less spectacular: males turn a dull olive color that looks very similar to the color of a female.
39. Goldenrod Crab Spider
- Latin name: Misumena vatia
- Habitat: Can be found across most of the Northern Hemisphere
- Size: Males up to about 0.2″ long; females up to about 0.39″ long
- Diet: Various types of invertebrates
- Colorful feature: Though these spiders are sometimes pale pink, white, or green, they are often an especially sunny yellow. They stand out because their heads, legs, and entire bodies tend to be the same shade.
The goldenrod crab spider is able to change color based on its surroundings, much like a chameleon can. It’s especially good at turning various shades of white to match white flowers. However, as far as researchers can tell, only females change color.
40. Common Seahorse
- Latin name: Hippocampus kuda
- Habitat: Shallow waters throughout much of the Indo-Pacific region
- Size: About 6.7″-12″ long
- Diet: Mostly zooplankton and fish larvae
- Colorful feature: This seahorse species is also called the “yellow seahorse.” Some individuals, like the one in the photo, are a uniform yellow. Others have a yellow base color and some degree of spotting. Thanks to their bright colors and interesting shape, they are somewhat popular aquarium pets!
Like other seahorse species, this one has a unique reproductive system where the male carries the eggs and gives birth. Seahorses are monogamous, and males attract females by dancing and changing their colors. Females then lay eggs into the male’s pouch. Unfortunately, this species is considered to be vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN.
41. Taveta Golden Weaver
- Latin name: Ploceus castaneiceps
- Habitat: Savannas in Kenya and Tanzania
- Size: About 5.5″ long
- Diet: Mostly seeds, though they will also eat corn, grasses, and insects
- Colorful feature: Males of this species are bright, vibrant yellow, though their backs are closer to olive green. The backs of their heads are bright reddish-orange.
The “weaver” part of this bird’s name comes from the fact that it weaves startlingly intricate nests. It has evolved especially strong beaks and claws in order to make these complex nests. Males build the nests over water, and they are usually built in trees or suspended between two reeds. Females then choose their mates based on nest-building skills.
42. Yellow Tang
- Latin name: Zebrasoma flavescens
- Habitat: Coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Japan
- Size: Up to about 8″ long
- Diet: Primarily algae and other marine plants
- Colorful feature: The brilliant yellow tang is almost entirely bright yellow; it even has yellow eyes! But if you look closely, you’ll see a tiny white barb close to the tail fin. This barb helps the fish defend itself from predators.
Thanks to its color and relative ease of care, the yellow tang is one of the most popular saltwater aquarium fish in the world! However, if you have a reef tank, yellow tangs may damage the coral in the tank. They can also be aggressive with other species of fish.
Yellow Creatures From Around the World
Whether you spot them swimming in the ocean, flying from tree to tree, or walking across the desert, yellow animals can be spotted all over the world. Their cheerful colors are sure to brighten your day!
Explore beautiful creatures of all colors and types in this list of colorful animals.
