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Small bird for ID - Virginia, USA (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Cristian Mihai
- Start date
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Looks frighteningly like a female MacGillivray's Warbler - fabulous record if it is!
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
That's a very pronounced eye ring in two small crescents, does look good
A
A
A2GG
Beth
Photos online of 2nd yr female Mourning Warbler look very similar.
And there is this description:
https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/infocenter/i6790id.html
Similar species:
The MacGillivray's Warbler is the western counterpart to the eastern Mourning Warbler. Fortunately, the breeding ranges of the two species do not overlap. Male MacGillivray's typically have broken eye rings while they are absent in male Mourning Warblers. Females and immatures of the two species are extremely difficult to tell apart and are usually separated by range. Connecticut Warblers are similar to Mourning Warblers but have complete eye rings and are larger. Female and immature Common Yellowthroats are also quite similar but lack a gray or brownish wash across the breast (although this can be indistinct in some immatures) and have white, not yellow, bellies.
And there is this description:
https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/infocenter/i6790id.html
Similar species:
The MacGillivray's Warbler is the western counterpart to the eastern Mourning Warbler. Fortunately, the breeding ranges of the two species do not overlap. Male MacGillivray's typically have broken eye rings while they are absent in male Mourning Warblers. Females and immatures of the two species are extremely difficult to tell apart and are usually separated by range. Connecticut Warblers are similar to Mourning Warblers but have complete eye rings and are larger. Female and immature Common Yellowthroats are also quite similar but lack a gray or brownish wash across the breast (although this can be indistinct in some immatures) and have white, not yellow, bellies.
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Eye ring is a key feature, the only other contender on that front would be Connecticut?
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A2GG
Beth
I dunno...some of the pics I'm seeing online of female mourning show some broken eye rings albeit not as pronounced as the bird in the OP's photo.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/MacGillivrays_Warbler/id
Similar Species
•Connecticut Warbler is much larger and heavier, with complete white eye ring (not crescents or arcs).
•Mourning Warbler lacks eye-crescents; male Mourning Warbler has a pronounced black patch in the middle of the breast. Some individual Mourning Warblers may show traits of MacGillivray's, including, rarely, white eye-arcs.
A2GG
Beth
Here's a helpful resource on Mourning Warbler with good photos:
http://www.migrationresearch.org/mbo/id/mowa.html#hymb
http://www.migrationresearch.org/mbo/id/mowa.html#hymb
A2GG
Beth
My immediate reaction was MacGillivray's and whilst googling photo's to support it further, I came across Virginia's first record from 2005
It sure would be a 'fabulous record' as Nutcracker said.
Here in NJ we have a Lesser Nighthawk which I got to see this past weekend.
This is a southwestern species...poor thing is way off track. It was taken in by a local bird hospital, fed and released. He/she is hanging around a park near the hospital.
Little SuperBirder
Addicted to Birds
Looks like a female Mourning to me, personally. Female Macs tend to have gray throats that don't contrast with the rest of the head IME. I guess I could be convinced otherwise, but given that this is what a 2nd year female Mourning looks like, I think it's a safe bet: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/MOWA1.jpg
Birdbrain22
Well-known member
Was thinking Mourning but on second look....I am not sure. That white throat is a good point for MacGillvray's along with those eye arcs.
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