Hi Glenda, AZ is not a location you find Pine Warblers, which have white wingbars, and white under the rump...this one has neither... thank you for looking
Hey Paul, my best guess is Orange-crowned Warbler. They are yellowish, greenish, drab and usually show a little bit of a line above the eye but not always as with this bird.
Trying to think of any warbler that might reasonably be found in Az in winter, and then thumbing through a couple of field guides, I think a F/ juv. Wilson's is the best fit. The gray crown, yellow face, big dark eye, small bill, lack of wing bars, yellow under-tail coverts etc.all fit.
Thanks Dan and Richard, did some more research..borrowed a friends "Stokes - Guide to Warblers", I didn't know that the western Orange-Crowned Warbler is so different than our eastern variety.
Looking at the images in Stoke's book, I'd vote for Dan's Orange-Crowned but if using Sibley's, Richards ID gets the nod.
Thats what I like about birding it always keeps you guessing, your always honing your skills.
Orange-crowned has a characteristic facial pattern, with a dark line going through the eye, and a split eye ring. Usually there's some streaking on the breast. I still feel your bird is a Wilson's. I agree with your remarks about birding!
Shape and color is not right for Wilson's and the primary projections doesn't look right, to me, for Orange-crowned. What about a drab female Yellow Warbler? I wish for a good look at the undertail, in the photo it looks like it may have a lot of yellow.
Dona Hilkey
NW Colorado
Too much yellow on the edges on the wing coverts for Wilson's.
Same for flight feathers but especially tail. Not to mention absence of yellow mask.
Too gray for a typical Yellow Warbler but....
If we count the visible primaries tips they are exactly 6,
meaning the 9th primary (longest one) does not project pass the 6th.
This is not present in Yellow Warbler in US, except:
D. petechia sonorana
(Dunn & Garret, Warblers)
with range (surprise, surprise) in Arizona and Sonora in Mexico.
Also, the females of this sub-species are described as (surprise, surprise)
grayish above with only traces of yellow.
I have never seen this sub-species but I would put my money on it.
I think Dona was right, except in this case we should not look for too much yellow:)
Paul, was this bird found in the S AZ? (Sonora desert)
I did not count the primaries, I'll have to remember that. I just thought this bird looked like many of the Yellow Warblers I see that are more gray than yellow and not a Wilson's and not an orange-crowned. I do have photo of orange-crowned warbler with no dark through the eye. It was taken in August of a molting juvenile female. http://www.pbase.com/dhilkey/orangecrowned_warbler_idd_
What Warbler?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote