Common Yellowthroat or Nashville Warbler? (1 Viewer)

Blue Jay82 · Sep 9, 2004

I need a litte help trying to identify this bird. At first I thought it was a Nashville Warble then I saw the female Yellowthroat, now i'm not sure.

streatham · Sep 9, 2004

Common Yellowthroat. - overall the Nashville is a much smaller, slighter bird, with a slighter bill and dark legs.

Luke

TorchBCT · Sep 9, 2004

Looks like a female or first year Common Yellowthroat to me.

Larry Lade · Sep 9, 2004

I am going to differ with the above. I think it is a Nashville Warbler. It seems to show a more distinct white eye-ring than would a Common Yellowthroat. The grayish head and the greenish wings also, I believe, indicate that this is a Nashville Warbler.

Perhaps the lighter colored legs might indicate a hatching year bird which has not gotten the darker colored legs yet.

gthang · Sep 9, 2004

Well, seeing the picture, I think it is a Common Yellowthroat. I saw a very young male once and he had dark spots on his cheek. when I first went through my guides, not a single bird looked like he did, so I posted, and I got Common Yellowthroat for an answer (unanimous vote too!) It looked exactly like yours, just mine had two spots, one on each cheek.

Bluetail · Sep 9, 2004

This is tricky. Although Larry makes some very valid points, I agree with Luke that this is a Common Yellowthroat. In addition to the points he makes about the bill and legs, the tail looks too long for Nashville Warbler. Also, if it were a Nashville I think we would probably be able to see some primary tips since that species has a longer primary extension beyond the tertials than Yellowthroat (though it's short in both and the angle in the photo is unhelpful). I wouldn't have thought the slightly capped appearance was good for Nashville either.

Compare Blue Jay's bird with this Common Yellowthroat and its structure with this Nashville Warbler.

Hal · Sep 9, 2004

Concur with Jason, immature Common Yellow-throat! My monitor has just been colour matched to the ISO 2000 Standards and I can't see any greenish tinges on the bird. Nashvilles head is overall grey in all plumages, extending onto the upper back. I think it's an immature male, the darker ear patch being the first sign of a developing mask.

Hal

Larry Lade · Sep 9, 2004

I wonder if my moniter is that far off of actual colors. Is there a test I can do to check the color accuracy? On my moniter the bird looks greenish with a gray head and whitish eye ring. The colors of "blue jay's" bird look very similiar to the photo in "bluetail's" offering above for Nashville. It is difficult for me to determine the primary projection on this bird due to the fuzziness of the photograph, its hard to tell where the primaries end and the tertials begin!

Grousemore · Sep 9, 2004

I've got similar colours to you, Larry and consider it is the usual problem of a definite ID from one pic only.
I don't agree that the Nashville is.."a much smaller, slighter bird"...marginally perhaps, although Peterson gives a size overlap.
On balance, I'd go for Nashville, but in my book it would be a 'probable' only.

snowyowl · Sep 9, 2004

It's really tough this time of year. Yesterday two of us spent quite a lot of time trying to id. a female warbler that we caught in the mist nets. It just didn't seem to fit any of the species perfectly, and the rule is that if you can't id it then you can't band it. I finally walked 1/2 mile to my van and 1/2 mile back for an additional book. When it's that tough with bird inhand then trying to id from a single picture is almost impossible.

prairiemerlin · Sep 9, 2004

That's a very dull Common Yellowthroat. The grayish earpatch is the beginning of a mask. Nashville warbler doesn't cock its tail like that. The gizz also just doesn't seem right for Nashville

nightheron28 · Sep 9, 2004

Maybe this could help

With the exception of the grey in the head it looks very similar to the female Common Yellowthroat pictured here:

http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpecies_LI.asp?imageID=17246&page=beautyl.asp

Grousemore · Sep 9, 2004

snowyowl said:
When it's that tough with bird inhand then trying to id from a single picture is almost impossible.

Wise words indeed, Dan.

CJW · Sep 9, 2004

Looks like a Common Yellowthroat to me.

HH75 · Sep 9, 2004

Hi all,
I haven't seen Nashville Warbler, but this looks really good for a Common Yellowthroat. It even has a hint of a dark mask on the face, so is probably a 1st-w male. Structurally, Nashville seems more of a 'typical' wood-warbler, unlike the almost Wren-like impression given by Common Yellowthroat. The bill shape also seems to differ between the two, based on photos.
Harry

Larry Lade · Sep 9, 2004

Dan, after you walked that mile for an additional book, were you then able to ID the bird in question?

Blue Jay82 · Sep 10, 2004

I added a couple more pics if that helps

streatham · Sep 10, 2004

Pretty conclusive that it's a yellowthroat now I would think. Luke

Bluetail · Sep 10, 2004

I still think it is anyway.

snowyowl · Sep 10, 2004

Larry Lade said:
Dan, after you walked that mile for an additional book, were you then able to ID the bird in question?

Yes, the final id. was female Blackpoll although I didn't do the primary id, that was done by the person who operates the station (she is much more experienced than i am) but I did agree with her conclusion.

Common Yellowthroat or Nashville Warbler? (1 Viewer)

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