Missouri, USA, Quiz Bird

[Larry Lade]

I entered this in this thread which has other "mystery birds".

This bird was banded this fall here in Missouri. Can you ID it?

[Bluetail]

Short answer, no, but I'll have a go anyway. Blackpoll Warbler.

[dacol]

I entered this in this thread which has othere "mystery birds".

This bird was banded this fall here in Missouri. Can you ID it?


I also think it is a wood warbler. Given that it seems to have white margins in the outer feathers of the tail I will go with PINE WARBLER.

Dalcio

[Larry Lade]

The bird is one of the Northern American wood warblers.

No correct answer yet, however.

[mattpau]

I've been told tail spot pattern is diagnostic in some species. But I don't have this knowledge. I'll just guess Yellow-rumped Warbler.

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Parula?

[Larry Lade]

Congrats to Paul.

The bird is a Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle race). Of course, we had the bird "in hand" so were certain of the identification.

A lot of the warblers we see in North America like to forage high in the trees and it is not always possible to get a real good look at them. At these times it is good to be aware of the "tail spots" (the pattern of the underside of their tails) to help with the identification of the various warblers. There is a good field guide, "A Field Guide to Warblers of North America", by Jon Dunn and Kimball Garrett, which shows these "tail spots" for the various warblers on pages 105 and 106. These plates can be very helpful in clinching a warbler's ID, whether it be high in a tree or "in the hand".

Good Birding!

[Michael W]

I saw this a little late, but I already knew the answer from the Missouri Birds Webpage's mystery bird. I guessed Northern Parula there (wrong, I know now). I guess it is good to know tail patterns.

Do you have any more of this kind of shot for us?

[BarbaraM]

Congrats to Paul.
There is a good field guide, "A Field Guide to Warblers of North America", by Jon Dunn....Good Birding!

This past weekend was the Central Valley Birding Symposium (held in Stockton, California). Jon Dunn gave a two hour presentation on identifying flycatchers - it was very good. If any of you ever have a chance to hear him speak don't pass it up. Barbara

[Larry Lade]

Michael, yes, I do have a few more shots of "under tails and vents". I will post a couple more as time allows.

Barbara, I have a couple of gull identification videos which are narrated by Jon Dunn. They kind of make one's head spin, so many gulls so many plumages! Gulls are tough for me. We do not get too many different species here in Missouri (except on the Mississippi River in Saint Louis, which is 300 miles from Saint Joseph) so I do not get to see many of them on a regular basis.

[Larry Lade]

Do you have any more of this kind of shot for us?OK, here are a couple more shots of birds which we netted and banded this fall on the Missouri Western State Campus, Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA. See if you can ID these.

[Michael W]

Why, oh why did I ask for these? ;)

Could the first one be a Scarlet Tanager? If not, I'll go for a Mourning Warbler. If not, I'll go for a Kentucky Warbler. If not...

I'll vote for Tennessee Warbler on the second bird.

Michael

[Bluetail]

I'll guess Mourning Warbler for the first and Magnolia Warbler for the second.

[Larry Lade]

I thought there would be more responses to these, but they are rather difficult if one does not have the above mentioned field guide which shows the "tail spots" of the various North American warblers.

The first photo is of a Mourning Warbler, good going Jason and Michael! The Kentucky Warbler and Connecticut Warbler are both very similiar, but both of these have longer wings. The undertail coverts on all three of these warblers extend a long way towards the end of the tail feathers.

The second photo is an Ovenbird. This one was a little more difficult than the first. For some reason an illustration of this bird's undertail was not given in the above guide.

I will post a couple more shots shortly. Good Luck!

[Larry Lade]

I will post a couple more shots shortly. Good Luck!
Here are a couple more shots of birds we banded (ringed) in Missouri this fall.

[columbidae]

I'm not going to guess on the first photo, but on the second is it a palm warbler?

[streatham]

The second photo is an Ovenbird. This one was a little more difficult than the first. For some reason an illustration of this bird's undertail was not given in the above guide.

Hi Larry,

I think they don't show the undertail of the ovenbird because you're unlikely to see them on mainly ground dwelling birds.

Luke

[prairiemerlin]

Common Yellowthroat and Nashville Warbler? That's without a field guide!

[Larry Lade]

The first photo is of an Orange-crowned Warbler (which is quite similar to Common Yellowthroat, see below). And the second is of a Nashville Warbler.


Common Yellowthroat Orange-crowned Warbler