Another Warbler ID Request

[Jonathan J. Weber]

This lone individual looks similar to an immature Common Yellowthroat that I posted here for an ID confirmation last month. It was feeding close to the ground, weaving in and out of a thick layer of branches in a brush pile at the same location as the first . Could it possibly be the same bird now several weeks older? It showed up at 7:20 pm last evening along with a Great Crested Flycatcher, 4 Eastern Wood-Pewees and 2 Eastern Phoebes.

Is there enough plumage detail in these photos to tell if a male or female?

Your considerations and attention to this request will be gratefully appreciated. Thank you.

Regards,

Jonathan J. Weber

 

[Michael Hansen]

Hi,

I know you asked someone else, but I saw no answer so I figured I'd jump in.

I would say yes, that's a common yellowthroat. Unfortunately, the best that I can do for gender is to say that it looks like a female, or, if a male, an immature one. By the way, are you familiar with Merlin? It's Cornell's (beta) bird ID program that works off of a (preferably) portrait of the bird in question. The URL for that nifty little birder/photographer helper is http://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/photo-id-help/

It is still in beta, as they say, but I've found it to be highly accurate from my own testing, but it does not have every species in the database yet, I do not believe.


Mike

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

Hello Mike,

Thank you for your reply and the Merlin link.

I've been trying to learn more about this species since I found their feeding habit. They have been an interesting study. As you stated, it seems extremely difficult to be able to sort them by age and sex in summer plumage. I can live with that.

Last night I came upon a family group for the first time feeding together at that location, and all looked very similar. I did not observe any feeding each other that may have suggested age associations of young-of-the-year birds.

Today this loner showed up briefly before a thunder storm - one not seen there before, but recognized as different by its darkening right cheek patch sprouting that can be seen in photo added. If not mistaken, it looks like an immature male.

Regards,

Jonathan

 

[Michael Hansen]

Great photo of an immature male! Yep, the mask is definitely taking shape.

They are an interesting study. I spent the last several years in Florida as an ecologist doing wetland restoration work (the swampy, alligator/cottonmouth-heavy type of wetlands), so I didn't have the opportunity to see nearly as many there as I have seen during this migration/breeding period in the prairies, marshes, and grasslands of Illinois. They're a lot of fun, not nearly as flighty as a lot of other small birds, so I ended up with a lot of common yellowthroat photos. And "a lot" is an understatement.

Thanks for making this bird a topic and sharing your photos!


Regards,
Mike