Warblers (Parulidae)

Pretty unmistakable in all plumages, with all yellow body including head, black line through the eye, bluish wings with wing bars, and very bright white undertail coverts. Even the dullest female as at 3L has all these features, just less.

1L EHar, 1R BH, 2L+R EH, 3L JD

Pretty unique face pattern and males with yellow on crown and wings are easy to id, even fairly dull females (2+3L) have at least a hint of the face pattern but in gray and color on the crown and wings.

1L EHar, 2L and 2R JF
3L a USFS photo by Javier Mercado-Velez
 

Easy to id in spring (1L, 7L) with gray crown, thin bill, white supercilium, and greenish back without wingbars but can be confused with Red-eyed Vireo. Note the vireo would have a larger blunt bill, a black border to the gray crown, and would be larger. In fall, TN is HIGHLY variable, from almost spring-like with gray and green with clean white underparts (1R), off-white underparts (6L),  to very yellow or green below, and can be very similar to Orange-crowned (OC) then. Uncommonly can be brownish above (3L). Usually a black line through the eye. Head can be grayish, usually just the cheek (2L), but never all gray head like some OC. Almost always has clean white undertail coverts, and they are long on a short tail (2R, 3R). Can be obscured by color in the lower flank. Even when the underparts are more buffy, the weakest color is the undertail coverts, which is opposite from OC. Can be slightly streaked in fall (5L). Note very long and sharply pointed primaries (2L, 4L) as opposed to OC shorter and rounded primaries. Keep in mind that OC arrives quite late in the fall in the Southeast, no earlier than very late September, and is usually solitary or found in ones or twos, while TN is usually found in small groups, flying from tree to tree, frequently giving their thin sort of whiny flight call while in OC all you usually get is a sharp chip now and then.

All color-bordered photos by BZ except 1L by DP and 5R by JF

A pretty dull warbler, with a grayish head, no wingbars, usually some streaking below, and yellowish undertail coverts. The biggest id problem is fall Tennessee Warbler (TN). Note that OC has shorter and more rounded primaries (2L), compared to long and sharply pointed on TN. Note also the color of the undertail coverts, on OC they are yellowish, and the strongest color is usually there (4R). On TN they are usually white, but even when a little buffy the color will be stronger toward the breast, the reverse of OC. Both species have thin sharp bills, but OC is usually slightly curved. Note long tail with short undertail coverts (1R, 2L, 4R) versus short tail with long undertail coverts in TN. Might have a split eyering in fall, unlike TN. Note that "celata" means "hidden crown," very appropriate for this species since you almost never see the orange "crown." Hints of the crown visible in 4L+5L.

All color-bordered photos by EH

Always a small warbler with a gray or grayish head, white eyering, and yellow throat (except very dull fall females). Yellow continues down into belly but always have a white area near vent before yellow undertail coverts. Always has a thin pointed bill. Note in 1L the yellowish rump, visible in all but the dullest imm females. Resembles Connecticut Warbler but much smaller and flits around in trees vice walks around on ground in scrub.

1L+R, 2R by BZ, 2L by SB

Always a small, inquisitive warbler with yellow throat, green area on back (2R), two white wingbars and short tail. Split white eye ring (crescents). Adult male is a deeper blue.

1L by JF, 2L by EH, 2R by BZ

Almost always a completely yellow warbler with a large dark eye in an unmarked face. Spring male has red breast and side streaks (1L) and these streaks can sometimes be seen in fall but much faded. Smaller streaks in adult female (1R). Can be very pale and grayish in some very dull fall immature females (4L+R). Note all yellow tail with no white, and only warbler with yellow tail spots from below (4L).

1R by JF
2L by DV
2R by BH
4L+R by EH
 

Male in spring unmistakable with yellow crown, gleaming white underparts except for chestnut along flanks, and black pattern on face (1L+R, 2L). Females in spring similar but crown is yellowish-green. Both sexes change completely for fall into greenish-gold upperparts, white underparts, and white eyering (2R, 3L). Frequently cocks tail. Can be mistaken for kinglets in fall.

1R by JF, 3L by EH

Bright yellow with black streaks and black facial markings in spring (1L+R), can be very dull in fall. All ages, all plumages, have white areas at base of tail with black at tip when viewed from below (2L+R, 3R). Can sometimes be seen from above (3L, 4L). Even the dullest fall birds have a gray head with a complete white eyering, yellow breast and belly, usually have some streaking but may have little or none (5R), white wingbars, and may have a gray necklace (5L). This is another species with a yellow or yellowish rump, very yellow in adults (can be seen a little in 5R).

3R by BZ
5R by JF
1L+R, 3L, 4L by BH

Adults are pretty easy in both seasons, with a yellow face, throat, and breast sometimes going into belly. In adults, always some amount of thin black streaking in flanks and maybe chest. Adult males have chestnut cheeks in spring, sometimes in fall, and large white upper wingbar (these features in top 8 images) All ages and sexes have some amount of yellow or green in uppertail (4L, 5L, 6R, 8R) and a thin short, slightly downcurved bill (looks more like a Vermivora than a Dendroica bill). In pale or dull example, the face has an indistinct border going into the throat (7L, 8L). Dull Pine Warblers always have a clean line separating dark cheek from pale throat (and a much larger bill). The underpart streaks can become gray and in some cases almost disappear in imm fall females. Note in all ages the primaries have green edges, this can be a useful mark in one of the really dull ones. Note typical white tail spots (8R).

1L by EH
1R, 5R, 9R by BH
All other bordered images by BZ
 

Male easy to identify with blue upperaprts (may have some black on back), black throat and flanks, and very white underparts including under the tail (upper 4 images). Females are mostly green above, and yellow-green below into undertail area, with typically a thin supercilium separating the green crown from the green cheek, going into the pale throat. Almost all ages and sexes except some imm fall females have a small white patch at base of primaries. Without that white patch these females may be confused with Orange-crowned Warbler, but the face pattern will separate all examples of each. Call note is a dry "tik" very similar to Dark-eyed Junco.

2L, 5R by BH
3L, 4L by BZ

Easy in spring plumage with black cheek, black streaking and gray upperparts (4L). All of the rest of the shots here are of winter plumage, which is mostly brown, with some streaking below. Always has a yellow rump and yellow spots on the side of the breast at the front of the wing. Can have white eyering or eye arcs, but always has a pale supercilium, although the supercilium can be very pale and indistinct as in 3L. White spots on underside of tail.

2L, 4L+R by JF

Always has a yellow face with green outlined cheek patch (may be less obvious in imm), green back, and white underparts with some amount of black streaking and a small yellow area at the vent. Some are hard to age or sex, but in general adult males have full dark throats (1L). Can be incomplete up in the chin area (1R) but is always black across the whole throat somewhere. As white tips over the black wear off the whole throat becomes gray (starting in 4R). Adult females generally have black spots at the side of the throat, but some may have a thin line across the throat. Imm females are the least marked in the throat, and may have only a few weak streaks along the side and little color in the throat (4R, 5L). A few have no black or streaks at all. Has a distinct chip note, moderately sharp, which it gives often while feeding.

1L by BH
4L+R by JF
5L by BZ

Adult male is stunning with glowing orange throat, face, and crown, black pattern across cheek, large white upper wing bar, and white underparts (1L+R). Adult female is similar but black replaced by brown and orange duller (2R). Immatures are duller, usually somewhat orange in male, yellow to faded yellow in female. See discussion under very similar imm female Cerulean, but note that all Blackburnians have black streaks on the back and the dark cheek patch is usually separated from the dark back by at least a small amount of the throat and supercilium color wrapping around the cheek. If the cheek and back connected, usually only by a point..

1L by JF
1R by EH
2L by BZ

In the east, unlike any other warbler with yellow throat, jet black facial markings and black streaking on white underparts. Grace's Warbler out west similar. Separating two subspecies very difficult. Eastern/southeastern D.d.dominica typically has yellow lores and a longer bill, but may have white lores like northern/central D.d.albilora (4R, 5R). In most cases individuals with white lores have just a touch of yellow with a close look, but you can't always get a close look (1L, 3L+R).  Most albilora the yellow does not go all the way up to the chin.

1L by JF
4R by BH, 5R by NS, both D.d.albilora

A very common large bulky warbler. Adult male (1L, 2L+R, 3L+R) has very yellow throat and breast, usually a yellow supercilium and yellow eye crescents. White wingbars, and white undertail coverts. All Pine Warblers have a fairly large bill, at least faded white wingbars, and undertail coverts the same color as the belly, usually white or off-white. Even on birds with pale throats, whether pale yellow or just pale, the dark cheek patch has a clean straight border with the cheek (unlike really pale Cape May, which can be similar).

1R, 2R, and 3R by JF
3L by BZ

All individuals show variations on this common theme: Olive upperparts, greenish wings without real wingbars, yellow underparts with black or faded streaking, and a facial pattern that includes a semicircle of dark color under the eye. In adult males, the streaks are very black, as is the face pattern (1L). There is usually a yellow supercilium also in all ages. In immature birds of both sexes, there are white eye arcs around the eye (3L+R, 4L). In really dull imms, there can be virtually no streaks below, and the face pattern is very subdued (3L), but there is always this gray semicircle of color under the eye to separate them from dull Magnolias (along with wingbars and tail pattern on Mag). Dully marked females may have little side streaking or facial pattern, but they also show this semicircle under the eye (1R). Imms with black in the cheek or along the sides are probably imm males (3R)

1L by JF, 1R by DV, 3L by PH

A very common fall mirgant and fairly common winter resident. Fairly bright in spring with chestnut cap, yellow supercilium, yellow throat and undertail coverts, some streaking, and tail-bobbing behavior as they feed on or close to the ground. Can be seen in trees also! In fall, all are easy to identify by faded crown, some streaking, yellow undertail coverts, and behavior. Two subspecies: D.p.palmarum, or "Western" Palm, more common in GA especially closer to coast, at most has yellow highlights in chest in spring (1L) and always duller than D.p.hypochrysea, called "Yellow" or "Eastern" Palm, which even in winter has yellow throughout chest and in spring has bright reddish streaks. Yellow Palm occurs here in lower numbers, and usually well inland. They arrive later in fall than Western and leave earlier in spring. The individual in 9R is tough to categorize, both JD and JF think it is hypochrysea but I think for that date in April (14th) it's too dull without reddish chest streaks and is just a bright palmarum. Compare to 1L. Note in 5L Palms have dull greenish rumps also, and 7L is a pretty unmarked example of an imm. Can resemble a dull Cape May female but note strong supercilium and yellow u/t coverts. In flight, you usually see either large white corners to the tail feathers or large areas of white the length of the tail (8L).

2R, 3R, 5L by EH
4R and 9R by JF
1L by DV

Easy to identify in spring (top 2), but very difficult in fall when similar to Blackpoll. Features to check in fall:
-a large slow-moving warbler with a large bill
-pale face without eyeline
-usually some trace of bay or buff on flanks
-dark legs and feet

Note in 5L the pattern of buff going into the undertail coverts. In 4R the flanks are very pale but still a wash of buff, and no streaks plus dark feet to eliminate Blackpoll. This is a tough one though if you didn't get a good look.
Note in 5R some have fairly yellow faces.

1R by PH
2R, 3R by BZ
5R by EHar
 

Top 4 spring, male 1L. In fall, very similar to Bay-breasted. Check these features then:
-pale face with fairly obvious eyeline
-some streaks on breast
-white undertail coverts
-yellow-olive upperparts
pale feet and often pale legs also
-smaller bill than Bay-breasted

You really need to try to get all these field marks to separate them in fall, so try not to rely on just one or two marks.

all by BH

(Yes I know most of these aren't very good, but these little guys rarely get close enough to get decent shots of. We are all working on it.)

Males in spring easy with cerulean blue upperparts, streaking and necklace, clean white underparts (top row, 5L and 5R). Females in spring greenish-blue, but roughly same pattern as males without much streaking. In fall, non-adult males can be greenish or greenish-blue with white, whitish or yellowish underparts. All ages and sexes have long undertail coverts on a short tail (2L, 5R), no streaking on the back (2R), and the pale color of the throat and face is always broken by the darker color of the cheek patch connecting to the back (2R, 3R, 4R). 4R is an excellent example of a typical fall imm female.

1R by EH
4L, 6L by PH
4R by JF,
5L by DP, 6R by BZ

One species, with a specialized long hind toe to forage by walking up and down trees (7R). Always has white and black striped crown and black streaking below. Adult males in spring have jet black cheeks and throats (1L). In fall and winter most adult males lose the black throat (1R, 2L+R), and this is also what first spring males look like. Adult females are just about impossible to separate from imm males in fall, and have gray cheeks with a black line on the upper edge. Immature females almost always have some amount of rust in the flanks or undertail (4R, 7R, 8L+R), and sometimes into sides or cheek. The bird at 7L may be an imm female also, based on the complete lack of streaking, but has no rust and a fairly dark cheek for an imm female, so I don't know.Very responsive to pishing with a loud sharp chip note it gives either singly or in series, like "pop-pop-pop-pop."

2L by JF

A very active warbler, constantly chasing flying insects. Males unmistakable, top row. Females and imm males usually impossible to separate except in spring when most first spring males have black lores and sometimes scattered black feathers also (3R shows the black lores). Those with orange patches instead of yellow (2L) may be males or older females. Note in 4L that from underneath the tail pattern resembles Magnolia with dark tip and pale base, but always colored and the tail is frequently fanned.

1L+R, 2R by EH
3L+R, 4L by BZ

Male is glowing yellow and gray with very white lower belly, undertail coverts and underside of tail. Female (2L+R) is not as bright with greenish top of head. Long thick bill is black in spring males, brown in fall males and females.

1R by EH, 2L by BH, 2R by DP

Distinctive stripes on crown unmistakable, can look vaguely similar to Swainson's if top of head not seen well. Has brown or peachy-brown (mostly in spring) throat and breast, fading to off-white belly and undertail. Main call note is a very sharp chip, and also has a very distinctive contact call note. Sounds like "zeet-zeet," almost always paired, often given in flight. Dead-leaf specialist, can often be spotted by checking out dead-leaf clusters (3R).

4L by EH

Large drab warbler with brownish cap. Frequently seen on or near the ground, feeds by turning leaves over with thick bill. Very difficult to find away from breeding areas.

1R by JF
2L by DV

All ages and sexes generally similar. Looks like a small thrush, with brownish upperparts and streaked underparts. Black stripes bordering rusty central stripe on crown, but imms may be missing the rusty crown stripe. Very curious, will often come in to pishing, usually with tail cocked as in 2L+3R, often with crown feathers raised. Loud sharp chip note. Always walks.

3R by BZ

Can be confused only with Louisiana Waterthrush. Check these points, with the first three the most important:
-supercilium of same width and color
-underparts all one color, may be white (1L+R) or yellow (2L)
-many thin streaks below
-flesh colored legs, never pink
-usually smaller bill than Louisiana
-throat usually streaked, but not always
-prefers slower water, bogs, etc but can be found anywhere in migration

1L, 3R, 4L+R by BH
1R by MO, 2R by BZ

Can be confused only with Northern Waterthrush. Check these points, with the first three the most important:
-supercilium buffy until eye, becomes wider and whiter behind eye
-underparts white with buffy patch on flanks
-fewer streaks than Northern, and wider
-usually pink colored legs, or slightly darker
-usually larger bill than Northern
-throat usually unstreaked
-prefers faster water like streams but can be found anywhere in migration

1R by EH

The only one in this group which breeds in GA. All yellow body with moderate to faded black pattern on face bordered by yellow supercilium above and throat below. Grayish crown in males. Unmarked upperparts, no wingbars, and only yellow below. Shy and hard to find in migration.

1L by EH
1R, 2L+R by BH

This is the only other warbler that habitually walks instead of hopping. Very skuly and hard to see, migrates through central GA in spring and offshore or rarely along coast in fall. Very rare inland in fall. Large bulky warbler, gray head with bold complete eyering and all-yellow underparts. Long wings and long undertail coverts almost reach end of tail. Females have gray or brown hood but still have complete eyering. Latest arriving warbler in spring, doesn't even reach south FL until the beginning of May.

Smaller and more slender than Conn, with shorter wings and shorter undertail coverts. Yellow of underparts brighter than Conn. Females may have narrow broken eyering (1R). Also late in spring, just before Conn. More common in GA in fall, mostly Sep.

1R JD

This individual was found in Gwinnett County and was accepted the GCRC. Adult male from out west for comparison (2L).

1L+R, 2R by EH, 2L by DV

Umistakable as adult male, with olive upperparts, yellow throat, and black mask bordered by gray (1L+R, 2L). Aging and sexing other than adult male can be troublesome. Imm male usually has a faded outline of adult male pattern as in 2R and 3L. Unknown what 3R's age or sex is, might be adult female, might be imm male. Females and imm females can be highly variable, but all have olive upperparts and white bellies. Throat can range from bright yellow (4L, 5L, 6L+R) to pretty dull yellowish (4R, 5R). All ages and sexes have yellow or yellowish undertail coverts. Can be separated with ease from all Oporornis by yellow throat and undertail with some amount of white in belly, usually quite a bit 6R).

1L by PH
1R, 3L+R by BH
2R by BZ
6L by EH
 

A bright yellow warbler underneath, with variable amounts of black on the head. Males (1L+R) have full black throat and top of head. Females highly variable amount of black from almost as much as males to just a hint along the edge of the crown (2R), not related to age. In all ages and sexes has dark lores, unlike Wilson's. Lots of white in tail, which is constantly flicked open and closed (1L). Believe it or not, this white is often the first thing noticed on a Hooded deep in the brush. Imm females have no black at all on head (3L, 4L+R), but still have dusky lores. Loud flat chip is distinctive and given often. 

1L, 2L+R by BH
1R, 3L, 4L+R by EH

Smaller and much more slender than Hooded, otherwise similar overall except no white in tail, not usually flicked, and yellow lores. Smaller bill than Hooded also. Full black cap is mostly adult male (1L+R), females with normally partial cap (2L), imm females with no black in cap (3L).

1L by PH
1R by DV
2L and 3L by BH

Male has yellow underparts with black necklace, side of throat and forehead, yellow lores into yellow spectacles. Has white undertail coverts but no white in tail. Female similar pattern to male but less of everything, and black replaced by gray. 2R is first spring female, 3L is probably imm female. Also a skulker.

2L and 3L by JF

Large and loud in spring, skulky and very hard to find in fall. Gray cheek with black lores, white supercilium and lower border to cheek. No wingbars. Song is a cacophony of unrelated noises, may be given during display flight.

1L by EH, 1R by BZ

This site will always be upgrading to better photos when I can get them...

Last updated 16 Apr 2006 (Cerulean)

Hits since 11 Sept 2003

Please email me with any comments or questions: giffbeaton@mindspring.com