Another ID?

[Amy Roberts]

Do I get a moratorium on how many times I can ask for help? LOL. Very new at this (but having fun).  

This one seems to have a lot more going on (more pronounced eye ring, more contrast on wings, striping on flank, etc.) than the orange-crowned warbler I asked about the other day. But after flipping through my books, I’m sort of right back at orange-crowned anyway. (I briefly talked myself into Virginia’s, but upon looking more closely, pretty sure that’s incorrect.)

I will await your verdict. :-)

Thanks! 

Amy Roberts
amyrob...@gmail.com

[mblackford]

This is a Yellow-rumped warbler, audubon 

SIBLEY's guide calls this one a 1st Winter.    

Maureen Blackford

Boulder County

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[Caleb A]

Hi Amy!

Don't worry about asking questions--birding is hard, and I think I speak on behalf of the CObirds community when I say we love helping newer birders learn the many facets of bird identification!

You have photographed a non-breeding plumage Yellow-rumped Warbler. Note that the throat is pale yellow (adult "Audubon" Yellow-rumped Warblers would have a much fuller yellow throat. There is another subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler called "Myrtle" that have white throats instead of yellow throats). Also note that the "armpit" is yellow--a mark that points to Yellow-rumped Warbler. The only other non-male breeding plumage warbler that has yellow armpits is the American Redstart, but those birds are much darker on their backs.

The white eye arcs, dull gray back, dull wing bars, and dark streaks along the flanks are all marks that point toward non-breeding Yellow-rumped Warbler. Although your photo doesn't show it, these birds flash yellow on their rumps, hence their name (and their nickname "butterbutt").

Come spring, you'll get to enjoy seeing lots of these guys in their gorgeous adult breeding plumages!

The birds are happy, and so am I

~Caleb Alons, Larimer County

[mblackford]

You gave a much better description than I had.  Good job, Caleb...

Maureen Blackford

Boulder County

-------- Original message --------

From: Caleb A <caleb...@gmail.com>

Date: 9/30/20 7:04 PM (GMT-07:00)

To: Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com>

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[Amy Roberts]

Thanks so much to all of you who answered! My books definitely failed me this time! (Okay. It might have been user error.) The yellow-rumped was the first one my bird app showed me, but the pictures didn’t look anything like mine, so I dismissed it. That’ll teach me. LOL.


Thanks again!
Amy Roberts
amyrob...@gmail.com

> <5551A40E-CEFB-48C6-A9FD-F2D119C41D77.jpeg>

[Caleb A]

Hi Amy!

In light of your last comment, I thought this little tip might help you as you continue to study birds: more times than not, the birds we see "in the field" don't perfectly match a 5-star photo of an adult in breeding plumage. If you're using a phone app like the Merlin ID app (which is an amazing app, by the way), it's good to be aware that the birds you find won't always look exactly like what you see in those photos. The Sibley Guide does a fairly good job of covering the major plumages for both sexes and most ages, but birds molt too, and at that point, it's often best to look to other field marks that aren't just color-pattern based.

Have fun out there!