Warbler ID, St John's Newfoundland August 2023 (1 Viewer)

[Redmist]

I am out of my comfort zone with North American warblers so looking for some help. I 'think' this is a young/moulting yellow warbler, but I have not found anything online or in field guide to fully convince myself. Please can someone confirm or correct? Both pictures are the same bird seen in garden/mixed woods close to a river and no call heard.

 

[Butty]

More like pine warbler: wing-bars, broken yellow eye-ring, white in undertail-coverts.

 

[Redmist]

Thanks Butty that was actually my original ID but I couldn’t see any records of pine warbler here in august so it seemed unlikely.

 

[birdmeister]

Great, informative photos of this bird! Field guides only show up to 1st-winter plumage, so most warbler juveniles are not second nature to me. My first thought on this bird was Pine, too, but I think it's really a Blackpoll. Several features stand out:

• Bright orange feet, orange on legs (Sibley depicts Pine as having some orange too, though)
• Shorter tail (Pine is known for a proportionally long tail, Blackpoll's is just short of New World warbler "average")
• Very long primaries (Pine is a much shorter-winged bird)

Macaulay Library photos of very young juveniles are scarce, but a few examples seem to match this bird up well with Blackpoll.


ML596801361 Pine Warbler Macaulay Library (Pine, with very long tail and fewer streaks on flanks)
ML481872071 Pine Warbler Macaulay Library (Pine, not too dissimilar to OP bird but to me with thicker bill and more contrast between yellow and gray-brown plumage)

ML599383321 Blackpoll Warbler Macaulay Library (Blackpoll, with mix of olive blotches and many fine markings on back)
ML359091201 Blackpoll Warbler Macaulay Library (Blackpoll, maybe molted further than OP bird but those white primary tips match up very well with OP and plumage looks good too)

 

[qwerty5]

Also notice the incredibly bright tertial edges, which is another mark against Pine.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I initially thought Pine, too, but I believe birdmeister is right with Blackpoll.

 

[Ratal]

Add 1 vote for Blackpoll

 

[Redmist]

Thanks birdmeister and others for the ID. Not a bird I’ve seen before I don’t think I’d have easily got to Blackpoll based on my Sibley guide.