Warbler ID Request

[Jonathan J. Weber]

I am not sure about this one with its confusing summer plumage. It was seen at a brush pile next to the woods shortly before dusk last night when it landed briefly with 4 Yellow Warblers, an Eastern Phoebe and an Eastern Wood Pewee - all briefly feeding before taking off. Any help would be most appreciated.

Jonathan

 

[Ron Conlon]

common yellowthroat warbler

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

Thank you, Ron. Were these called Yellow-throated Warblers quite some time ago?

Jonathan

 

[Ron Conlon]

Yellow-throated is yet another warbler species distinct from the common yellowthroat.

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

Thank you for clarifying my confusion!

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

Thought I would add another unknown warbler. There was a brief flurry of 7 together late this evening - FOY sighting for the species at the brush pile. It's a little early for "fall warblers" here along Lake Ontario. At first I thought they were Pine Warblers with the white wing bars, but the bill seems stout, unless it may be a younger bird.

Certainly would appreciate any help .

Kind regards,

Jonathan

Edit: Decided it was not a warbler after review and more searching. My best call is Yellow-throated Vireo.

 

[Paul Guris]

Definitely Yellow-throated Vireo. Big white wing bars, yellow spectacles around the eye, clear yellow throat and breast, and thick bill are all good marks.

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

Paul, Thank you for that confirmation.

I hope not to be too annoying with multiple ID requests, but I don't know where else to go outside of my guide references.

This bright colored warbler showed up near sunset in the woods next to Lake Ontario Sunday evening. The color is obvious, but is it really a Yellow Warbler? I've photographed several confirmed summer color phases for this species over the past few weeks, but have not seen this plumage expression before. These are not the best shots from my D7 Mark II handheld with a 100-400 II and 1.4X II. Without a side view showing the back and wings, is ther enough to go on?

Regards,

Jonathan

 

[Ron Conlon]

The Cornell site allaboutbirds.org has a nice feature that allows you to compare photos of similar-looking species, and will give you photos of both sexes and juveniles. Try female American Goldfinch at that site, and see if you agree.

 

[Paul Guris]

No problem with the questions. This is a female / immature Yellow Warbler. The bright yellow undersides from front to back, the big, black "doll's eye", the plain yellow face, and the yellow in the tail feathers are all good marks.

From the angle you got it might be tempting to consider Wilson's Warbler but the bright yellow in the undertail should rule that species out. Since you're in NY, range should also rule out Wilson's.

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

Thanks, Ron. I'll have to agree at this point as the best match. Never considered Goldfinch.

Regards,

Jonathan

 

[Paul Guris]

Definitely not an American Goldfinch, or even a finch. First, look at the bill. Goldfinch will have a short, pinkish, conical bill, not a long, thin, grayish, pointed one. Next look at the tail. Goldfinch has a black tail. The eye is also proportionally too large for Goldfinch.

In reference to the possibility of female Goldfinch, that amount of yellow would never appear on one ... without the aid of spray paint!

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

My first hunch seems to have been closer than finch. The soft look to the plumage appears to suggest a molting phase. It fluffed out after that landing pause. I've seen warblers and other songbirds do that after swallowing a catch.

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

In a follow up reference to those last two photos, this is a side view of what I called a Yellow Warbler. It was taken 15 miles west a week earlier an hour before dark where I have been following a family of four birds. Kindly confirm my ID on this one.

Jonathan

 

[Paul Guris]

That's a Yellow. It even shows the yellow eye ring which can sometimes be tough to see.

 

[Jonathan J. Weber]

These two individuals were feeding together by the brush pile the past two nights just before dusk. They don't sit still very long and are a challenge to locate in the viewfinder when flittering so quickly in and out of the branches near the ground

.

 

[Paul Guris]

Top bird looks like a Yellow Warbler. The bottom bird is a juvenile Common Yellowthroat that looks barely fledged. The pale skin at the gape of the bill indicates juvenile.