[Birdtalk] Re: Red Butte Warbler ID

Sat Oct 4 09:28:10 MDT 2008

I've been trying to resist responding to these intriguing warbler photos,
simply because of a curmudgeon belief that photos often muddy the waters
rather than document the obvious.  (Why is the "id quiz" such a popular
staple of many printed bird magazines and internet bird sites?  Because
usually, photos are less than obvious because of partial views, lighting,
angle, etc.) In this particular case, I would go back to the oft used (but
more often overlooked) primary guideline for all avian rarity seekers: "If
you hear hoof beats, it probably isn't a herd of zebras" (unless you're
standing on the Serengeti). And although always a possibility, id as a
hybrid is all too often the easy way around the more obvious.

For the reasons already very well stated by Rick Fridell (and hinted at by
others), I believe this to be a *Yellow-rumped Warbler*.  Would the
photographer have noted the "obvious yellow rump?"  Not necessarily.  I've
seen many a YRWA that did a great job of not showing the "obvious," a
situation that I believe could be intensified when an observer is looking
through a camera viewfinder, trying to take documenting photos.  In my
initial puzzlement (and "zebra perspective") over the photos, I too felt the
bird came closest to a Pine Warbler, but also could not reconcile the "eye
ring" with the otherwise congruent field marks for this super rarity from
the east.

Ask yourself the obvious question: If this bird has a yellow rump, what
species does it fit most readily?  I believe that the answer is just as
obvious... this is an example of the highly variable (more so than any other
western warbler we see) Yellow-rumped Warbler.

J. Harry Krueger
Boise, ID

On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 8:31 AM, Steve Carr <stevecarr9 at msn.com> wrote:

>  Besides the photos that have been seen, Carol, who photographed the bird,
> probably would have seen several flashes of the yellow rump as the bird
> flitted through the tree.  If she didn't report it, likely she didn't see
> any yellow in the rump.
>
> --Steve Carr
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Cliff and Lisa Weisse <CliffandLisa at octobersetters.com>
> *To:* Birdtalk <birdtalk at utahbirds.org>
> *Sent:* Friday, October 03, 2008 10:56 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Birdtalk] Re: Red Butte Warbler ID
>
> The more I look at this one the more I feel it's likely a hybrid that
> includes CSWA as one parent.  Regarding whether it's a Yellow-rumped the
> pale spot on the back in photo #3 extends quite a way to the side of the
> rump, doesn't contrast much with the rest of the upperparts, and
> actually looks lime green rather than bright yellow, a better fit for
> CSWA.  Other points against YRWA include extensively pale lower mandible
> (I can't recall seeing a YRWA with a pale bill) and the shape of the
> pale throat area which in my experience with YRWA is always triangular
> and wider at the breast, not parallel edged as this bird shows.  Also
> one of the tertial edges in photo #2 looks bright yellow.  YRWA can have
> buffy tertial edges but not yellow.  Of course that's assuming the color
> is as it appears in that photo which may not be correct.
>
> I sent a note about this bird to a friend at the IBO research station at
> Lucky Peak (Idaho) asking what he thinks.  I'll forward his reply if he
> offers an opinion.
>
> Cliff
>
>
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