Fledgling Warbler ID Help
Connie and Wilton Stale of
Wildlife Response, Inc in Chesapeake, VA wrote the
Va-Bird listserv today requesting ID help for a fledgling warbler they has just taken in.
Here are the photos they posted:
Can I help? Whelp, I just got back from the sweatiest, most uncomfortable trip to Eastern Market of all time, and now I want nothing more than to just sit here motionless. So lets give it a try.
Ok so let's take a look. Is it a baby? Yeah looks like it. Is it a warbler? Hmm I'm not sure. Is it yellow? Definitely.
My field guides don't show fledgling birds, so let's use the magical internet to find pictures of baby birds until, hopefully, we find a match.
OK well it makes sense to look for some warblers (after all, it
could be a warbler) that breed in the area and see what we've got.
Is it a
Yellow-Rumped Warbler? Nope.
How about a
Wilson's Warbler? Hmm closer, but the colors on the head and feet are wrong.
Orange-Crowned Warbler? Not yellow enough.
Yellow Warbler? Looks like they get their name later on...
How 'bout a
Yellow-Breasted Chat? No.
Hmm well these warblers don't seem to be working out so well. And hey, it looks like our mystery fledgling is already about the size of a full-grown warbler...so maybe this is a baby bird of a larger species. Let's try taking a look at some other baby birds to see if we find a match.
How about a
Summer Tanager? Man that guy's ugly. And no.
Uh, man, a...
Horned Lark? Nay.
Wait! How about a
Baltimore Oriole? Here's
another angle. Hmm about right size and shape, lots of yellow, same beak shape, wing-bars...Ladies and Gentlemen I think we've got it. Thanks for playing.
