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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Mystery Phylloscopus (1 Viewer)

Jane Turner

Well-known member
I got really quite close to this one.. its my hand in the photos. This bird is officially unidentified. I have some very strong suspiscions though. It was caught on the West coast of England in late spring.

Curious to hear what you would make of it.
 

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Looks a little like a Radde's but if it was trapped I presume biometrics eliminated that. Birds always look different in the hand anyway so maybe it's a "funny" chiffchaff. Don't really know but would not-very-confidently go for Radde's.
 
Ah! I just don't know. I guess this must be the proverbial worst case scenario for a ringer since in order to ring a bird you have to identify it first as I seem to remember from some ringing I did years ago. So this remained unringed?
 
With all that Yellow I'd guess Iberian chiff - that's one hell of a supercillium it has!!

I don't suppose it was in the mood for singing was it!

Darrell
 
Hi Jane,
I'd also suspect Iberian Chiffchaff,especially since you point out that it was only a race at the time!
Know that wing formula etc can be used to seperate them in the hand,but perhaps the differences weren't known at the time?
Harry H
 
Toss-up between Dusky and Chiff on these views, with slight preference for Dusky on the brightness of the supercilium and black eyestripe. The hint of a paler rump is a bit baffling. Not Radde's, with that slender, dark bill. What colour legs?

Michael

Edit - the additional info about it being just a race hadn't been added when I wrote the above
 
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It sung like a good 'un. No recording though! In 1990 there was no need to record them!

I think the bridging super is a good feature...but no one seems to have nailed features for this species.
 
Here are some alternative pics of it!

Shows how long-tialed it looked and how non-dingy it was underneath... hoever the lemon streaking is not resolved in the pic.
 

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