S.E. Florida - Odd looking warbler ID needed (1 Viewer)

[Zackiedawg]

While out yesterday re-locating my golden-winged warbler that I had gotten blurry ID shots of the week before (happily I did relocate the bird and got some better shots this time)...I shot a few other warblers hanging out in the same batch of trees - one which I immediately ID'd as a yellow-rumped warbler on scene because I saw a noticeable yellow-square patch at the base of the tail, upon closer inspection of the photos, looks a bit odd. The white patch behind and below the eye and flecks of white on the top of the head and sides of the wing threw me, and I couldn't come up with a match in any of the bird guides. I have no idea if this could be some morph, phase, or hybrid, or if it's not a yellow-rumped at all. Any help appreciated:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/168443924/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/image/168443925/original.jpg

 

[Andy Adcock]

Looks like a Yellow-rumped Warbler with slight leucism around the face.

 

[Zackiedawg]

Thanks Andy. That's sort of what I was thinking too - I've never seen a partial leucistic warbler...but everything else seemed to be clearly yellow-rumped about him. I hoped to clarify and rule out a hybrid or mixed-breed, and to make sure it wasn't some other species I was overlooking or not finding. He was hanging out with two palm warblers, another yellow-rumped, a black-and-white warbler, and our rare sighting golden-winged warbler, all in the same tree stand.

 

[KC Foggin]

Yellow-rumped for me as well. First leucistic one of this breed I've seen. Nice capture.

 

[frejaya]

Definitely looks like a yellow rumbed warbler to me, but I'm still pretty new at this!

 

[Zackiedawg]

Thank you both. I'll go with yellow-rumped for sure, with partial leucistic feathers. First for me too with a yellow-rumped, KC. All in all, a good day yesterday with the golden-winged warbler and this guy too - I was only out birding for an hour or two!

 

[Birdbrain22]

I am getting more of a leucistic Cape May Warbler read on this bird.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I am getting more of a leucistic Cape May Warbler read on this bird.

It seems to show a weak, double wing bar rather than the bolder white smudge of Cape May?

 

[Zackiedawg]

Though not visible from these two angles on the bird, the yellow 'square' butt patch at the top of the base of the tail is very bold and obvious...it really had the yellow-rumped look from every angle except all the white bits on the face that threw me off. We certainly can have Cape Mays around here this time of year, but I was definitely thinking yellow-rumped all the way except the white. I'd love to hear any further consensus or argument one way or the other to nail it down.

 

[birdmeister]

Yellow-rumped for me, too. Cape May should be either more gray or more green, not distinctly brown. I agree with Andy on the wing bars, too. Cape May's rump patch, while noticeable, should be more yellow-green and not contrasting so much with the rest of the upperparts.

The one thing I find interesting is the apparently yellowish color on the throat. Not sure if pure "Myrtle" subspecies can show that.

 

[Birdbrain22]

It seems to show a weak, double wing bar rather than the bolder white smudge of Cape May?

Not all show that bold white smudge you refer to especially in Fall and first winter birds and females. Take a look at some of the pics in the attached Audubon site(scroll down to the gallery). Cape Mays vary greatly in the fall(age, sex). Plus this bird looks like it has some color throughout the breast and throat on my screen which YR should not.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/cape-may-warbler

I can see it as a first winter Cape May...

 

[Birdbrain22]

Though not visible from these two angles on the bird, the yellow 'square' butt patch at the top of the base of the tail is very bold and obvious...it really had the yellow-rumped look from every angle except all the white bits on the face that threw me off. We certainly can have Cape Mays around here this time of year, but I was definitely thinking yellow-rumped all the way except the white. I'd love to hear any further consensus or argument one way or the other to nail it down.

Look at the pics in the link...yellow rump on the Cape Mays are very visible as well.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Not all show that bold white smudge you refer to especially in Fall and first winter birds and females. Take a look at some of the pics in the attached Audubon site(scroll down to the gallery). Cape Mays vary greatly in the fall(age, sex). Plus this bird looks like it has some color throughout the breast and throat on my screen which YR should not.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/cape-may-warbler

I can see it as a first winter Cape May...

But none seem to show the double wing bar?

 

[Birdbrain22]

Yellow-rumped for me, too. Cape May should be either more gray or more green, not distinctly brown. I agree with Andy on the wing bars, too. Cape May's rump patch, while noticeable, should be more yellow-green and not contrasting so much with the rest of the upperparts.

The one thing I find interesting is the apparently yellowish color on the throat. Not sure if pure "Myrtle" subspecies can show that.

Cape Mays can certainly be brownish in fall, especially on first year birds. Cape Mays show that color throughout the breast/throat.

I personally still see it as a Cape May...

As a side question... how does one multiquote numerous responses?

 

[dantheman]

Look at the pics in the link...yellow rump on the Cape Mays are very visible as well.

As a side question... how does one multiquote numerous responses?

Middle icon on bottom right hand side of posts when replying - click on the posts you want to multiquote (they go red with a '+'), then hit the left hand 'quote' button ...

 

[ovenbird43]

I think this is more likely a Yellow-rumped Warbler. I think some of the apparent yellowish wash to the throat and breast may be an effect of lighting/reflection - the real yellow shows through as a typical Yellow-rumped flank patch. it's hard to truly rule out Cape May with such an odd bird, but everything to me screams Yellow-rumped rather than Cape May - I would expect a Cape May with such a bright rump to also have a brighter (and more uniformly colored) breast and face (where not instead white). And let's consider probability - while a few Cape Mays do winter in extreme southern Florida, Yellow-rumped is FAR FAR more common.

 

[jmorlan]

It is undoubtedly a Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler. Cape May has a shorter tail, thinner bill and different ventral pattern. On a side note, "leucism" is properly applied to birds or animals with normal plumage that is dilute overall. Birds with patches of pure white are better termed "partial albino." Geneticists may cringe at that but there is no better plain language term available. Or you could go with "partial amelanistic." Ugh!

 

[Nutcracker]

On a side note, "leucism" is properly applied to birds or animals with normal plumage that is dilute overall. Birds with patches of pure white are better termed "partial albino." Geneticists may cringe at that but there is no better plain language term available. Or you could go with "partial amelanistic." Ugh!

Red rag to some bulls, but I agree 100% :clap::clap::clap:

 

[Andy Adcock]

It is undoubtedly a Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler. Cape May has a shorter tail, thinner bill and different ventral pattern. On a side note, "leucism" is properly applied to birds or animals with normal plumage that is dilute overall. Birds with patches of pure white are better termed "partial albino." Geneticists may cringe at that but there is no better plain language term available. Or you could go with "partial amelanistic." Ugh!

Seems not to be true according to people who know more than me.

'Leucism (/ˈluːsɪzəm, -kɪz-/)[1][2][3] is a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes.[3] It is occasionally spelled leukism. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin.'

Leucism is a general term for the phenotype resulting from defects in pigment cell differentiation and/or migration from the neural crest to skin, hair, or feathers during development. This results in either the entire surface (if all pigment cells fail to develop) or patches of body surface (if only a subset are defective) having a lack of cells capable of making pigment.

 

[Zackiedawg]

This little bird has become quite the interesting find - heartening to see that others are not easily nailing down the ID, so I don't feel so feeble in not being able to figure it out myself. Between the Cape May and Yellow-rumped, it seems the yellow-rumpeds are slightly in the lead...as for leucistic or partial albino, whichever is the more accurate term I'll accept, as we've at least identified the odd white bits to not be part of a pattern of some other species I couldn't figure out, but an anomaly causing this bird to be a more difficult on-scene identification.
I will post this bird on my local Audubon site as well to see if any other local birders have additional opinions on it.