Juvenile bird - Stonechat? Whinchat? (1 Viewer)

[Henry Sharp]

Who knows what this is?
Juvenile Stonechat, Whinchat or something else?
17 May, province of Cadiz, south of Spain.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Henry,

yes its a juvenile Stonechat for me too.
The extensive yellow bill gape, the clouded patterned feathers on the breast and the moddled ear-coverts are juvenile feathers/traits, while some new deep orange feathers on the belly are growing first winter/technically adult feathers.
Most similar 1cy Common Redstart has a orangey-red tail (sic), a different bill structure and slightly paler orange belly, not that deep brownish orange hue of your bird.

 

[Henry Sharp]

Hello Henry,

yes its a juvenile Stonechat for me too.
The extensive yellow bill gape, the clouded patterned feathers on the breast and the moddled ear-coverts are juvenile feathers/traits, while some new deep orange feathers on the belly are growing first winter/technically adult feathers.
Most similar 1cy Common Redstart has a orangey-red tail (sic), a different bill structure and slightly paler orange belly, not that deep brownish orange hue of your bird.

Thanks Alexander for your extensive explanation.

 

[Butty]

Do they have post-juvenile moult this early in the year? Or might it be a (retarded?) 1-year-old? I wouldn't call the gape-flanges at all prominent.

 

[Southern Viking]

Do they have post-juvenile moult this early in the year? Or might it be a (retarded?) 1-year-old? I wouldn't call the gape-flanges at all prominent.

A 2cy wouldn't show the juvenile feathering still evident on the head. It does seem quite early for the orange feathering to be showing, but for e.g. (Eurasian) Robins have a fairly early moult where the orange breast feathers start to come through. Definitely this year's juvenile anyway in it's first moult