Passerine in El Valle, Panama, July 2019. (1 Viewer)

Hi all,

Just came back from a trip to Panama, where for the most part birding was more straightforward than I had expected it to be, but there was this passerine I saw a few days ago in El Valle de Anton that was giving me a bit of trouble.

The bird was perched on an open branch for a few minutes in an orchid garden not far from the town center. I didn't see it for long and it wasn't very active (it was raining) so it's hard to describe any behaviour. It reminded me most of a pipit, though none of the American species fit it well and none of them are supposed to be near El Valle. My best guess is a Tyrannid flycatcher of some sort, though the bill doesn't really seem right for any of them.

Any help is more than welcome, I've been through my bird guide a couple of times but I can't seem to find anything similar. I do have a few more pictures that I can post if necessary.

Thanks in advance,
Anton.

Why not Yellow-green vireo?

Oh that has to be it, thanks! Not being used to vireos I had expected those to be a bit more compact, so I didn't think of vireos when looking for this bird. This explains why I didn't find it earlier!

Compare https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yellow-green_Vireo

I don’t like the white color of the tail on your bird just to mention one thing

Niels

njlarsen said:

Compare https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yellow-green_Vireo

I don’t like the white color of the tail on your bird just to mention one thing

Niels

Click to expand...

I think it's just a worn adult about to undergo moult. Check out the white on this image for comparison - I think later in the season the more likely they will be looking shabby. Happy to hear other suggestions of course, but I don't think there is another similar looking vireo that breeds in Central America? Only other species that springs to mind is one of the Greenlet species, but I'm still confident it is YGV, with the proviso that it is 6 years since I was last in the region.