TrishV Loc: Now living on Whidbey Island, WA

This photo was taken yesterday in Washington State - can anyone help me ID it please? Thank you.

ricardo00

You might consider posting on a birding forum, I have used:
https://www.whatbird.com

The people there are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful.

PS. Or try an app like Merlin though I have had mixed results with this app.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Yellow-rumped Warbler ?

TrishV Loc: Now living on Whidbey Island, WA

have not heard of that website so thank you for the info. Yes I find the merlin app okay for some birds but not very helpful for the smaller ones.

TrishV Loc: Now living on Whidbey Island, WA

Thank you I will check that out.

ricardo00

We have lots of yellow-rumped warblers and don't think it is. Possibly a common yellowthroat but will leave it to the experts.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Dunno, but lovely catch ⭐⭐⭐⭐

J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio

LittleRed

This is a Yellow-rumped Warbler in it’s drab fall colours ( non-breeding ). Because of it’s position one cannot see the tell tale yellow tail-light on the back. However there are other markings to use for ID. First the pattern/colour of the under tail. The black corners and black V at the end of the coverts show it to be a “butter-bum”. All warblers have a different undertail pattern. (Although some are very similar ). Second clue is the split eye ring. The third is the bright yellow patch at its armpit area. These show it as a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
The Yellow-rumped in North America is divided into 2 varieties. Your picture is one of a the Audubon’s variety as it’s throat is bright yellow, typical of a western bird. Here in the east we have the Myrtle variety which has a white throat. Other than slight colouring these two birds are identical. Hope this helps.

Take care
LittleRed (Ron)

PS - if you have an mobile unit (pad, cell phone) take a look at the Merlin app from Cornell. Excellent program for IDing birds. But only usable on a mobile device.

TrishV Loc: Now living on Whidbey Island, WA

I looked in my Stokes Field Guide at the yellow rumped warbler but thought that incorrect as the colors shown there seemed to be much brighter and in different areas of the body - I tried very hard to get a better photo but the birds were very high up and did not sit on any branch very long. I find it very difficult to identify small birds and particularly at this time of the year when their colors seem to change. Thank you for taking the time out to assist me I appreciate that.
Stay well.

LittleRed

Hi Trish

The problems with the bird guides like Stokes they usually show them at their prettiest, usually in spring breeding colours. Also they show for the most part the gaudy male member. In the fall a lot of the small birds morph into something much different looking. The female is usually much more drab and inconspicuous for her protection as she usually is a nest sitter. A perfect example is the male American Goldfinch. In the offseason it’s quite hard to distinguish between a male or a female as they look pretty well the same, a drab yellowish green bird. But in the spring he begins to transform into his breeding attire that of a very bright yellow ‘canary’ with a black cap. A truly beautiful bird. But alas when the breeding season is over he returns to his plain old drab coloration. This is true of a lot of the small songbirds especially the warblers.
Like I said download Merlin if you can as it is a treasure when used to ID birds (either by pics or sound). It is a free app from Cornell.

LittleRed (Ron)

TrishV Loc: Now living on Whidbey Island, WA

Thank you Ron. I have downloaded Merlin and am in the process of figuring out how to use it. Yes the males do always look much brighter in the summer months. Appreciate all your thoughts.