Fwd: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-10 Thread Peter Reisfeld 
While I do not profess expertise in this matter, I just wanted to comment on 
the study by Baumann et. al in the Journal of Field Ornithology on 
distinguishing Western and yellow bellied flycatchers.  While precise 
separation of these species required in-the-hand measurement of wing and buffy 
fringe lengths, as others have noted, the space between the proximal edge of 
the buffy fringing on the secondaries and lower wing bar was judged to be a 
good field mark, with a larger space favoring yellow-bellied. 

Some have suggested that this article supports categorizing the Inwood 
flycatcher as yellow-bellied. Yet in the photo on page 395 used to illustrate 
this, the band between the lower wing bar and the top edge of the fringe is 
about 1/3 of the length of the visible secondaries on the yellow-bellied, while 
not more than 1/4 of this length on the western.  Looking at some of the photos 
of the Inwood bird, the band is much closer to 1/4 than 1/3.  While there may 
well be some variability in this feature in the field, if the photo from the 
article is an accurate representation of the validity of this field mark, it 
would suggest that the Inwood bird is more likely western than yellow-bellied, 
not the reverse.

Peter

(This message was resent as I could not find my first response on the list. 
Pardon any duplication.) 

> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: Anders Peltomaa <anders.pelto...@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: FW: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
> Date: December 9, 2016 at 11:01:36 AM EST
> To: Shaibal Mitra <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu>
> Cc: "NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)" <NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu>
> Reply-To: Anders Peltomaa <anders.pelto...@gmail.com>
> 
> Thanks for the reminder Shai,
> 
> Here is a link to a PDF of the article that Joe referenced.
> 
> https://biology.unm.edu/Witt/pub_files/Baumann-etal-2014-JFO-yellow-Empid-ID-jofo12078.pdf
> 
> good birding,
> 
> Anders Peltomaa
> Manhattan
> 
> On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 9:12 AM, Shaibal Mitra <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu>
> wrote:
> 
>> In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory
>> for our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post
>> from Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the
>> wing pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would
>> agree that this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
>> 
>> It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick
>> with me to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000!
>> So n.b. to those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning
>> until later, front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!
>> 
>> From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu <bounce-118614530-3714613@
>> list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo <jdic...@nyc.rr.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
>> To: NYSBirds
>> Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
>> 
>> 
>> Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85,
>> no. 4, December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders
>> check for ID articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in
>> it: “Simple technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from
>> Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N.
>> D. Pederson and C. C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the
>> article for all the details, many of which involve measurements that can
>> only be done in the hand, but there is one character that can be used to
>> distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the
>> complex composed of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the
>> space on the folded wing between the lower wing bar and the start of the
>> pale fringes on the secondaries. This space is much larger in the
>> Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few field guides from
>> my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published illustrations. I
>> found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North
>> America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious in
>> Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the
>> Sibley Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of
>> the Journal of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113
>> museum specimens that had been identified based on locality. They found
>> their technique correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled
>>

Fwd: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-10 Thread Peter Reisfeld 
While I do not profess expertise in this matter, I just wanted to comment on 
the study by Baumann et. al in the Journal of Field Ornithology on 
distinguishing Western and yellow bellied flycatchers.  While precise 
separation of these species required in-the-hand measurement of wing and buffy 
fringe lengths, as others have noted, the space between the proximal edge of 
the buffy fringing on the secondaries and lower wing bar was judged to be a 
good field mark, with a larger space favoring yellow-bellied. 

Some have suggested that this article supports categorizing the Inwood 
flycatcher as yellow-bellied. Yet in the photo on page 395 used to illustrate 
this, the band between the lower wing bar and the top edge of the fringe is 
about 1/3 of the length of the visible secondaries on the yellow-bellied, while 
not more than 1/4 of this length on the western.  Looking at some of the photos 
of the Inwood bird, the band is much closer to 1/4 than 1/3.  While there may 
well be some variability in this feature in the field, if the photo from the 
article is an accurate representation of the validity of this field mark, it 
would suggest that the Inwood bird is more likely western than yellow-bellied, 
not the reverse.

Peter

(This message was resent as I could not find my first response on the list. 
Pardon any duplication.) 

> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: Anders Peltomaa 
> Subject: Re: FW: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
> Date: December 9, 2016 at 11:01:36 AM EST
> To: Shaibal Mitra 
> Cc: "NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)" 
> Reply-To: Anders Peltomaa 
> 
> Thanks for the reminder Shai,
> 
> Here is a link to a PDF of the article that Joe referenced.
> 
> https://biology.unm.edu/Witt/pub_files/Baumann-etal-2014-JFO-yellow-Empid-ID-jofo12078.pdf
> 
> good birding,
> 
> Anders Peltomaa
> Manhattan
> 
> On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 9:12 AM, Shaibal Mitra 
> wrote:
> 
>> In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory
>> for our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post
>> from Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the
>> wing pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would
>> agree that this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
>> 
>> It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick
>> with me to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000!
>> So n.b. to those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning
>> until later, front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!
>> 
>> From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu > list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo 
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
>> To: NYSBirds
>> Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
>> 
>> 
>> Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85,
>> no. 4, December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders
>> check for ID articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in
>> it: “Simple technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from
>> Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N.
>> D. Pederson and C. C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the
>> article for all the details, many of which involve measurements that can
>> only be done in the hand, but there is one character that can be used to
>> distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the
>> complex composed of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the
>> space on the folded wing between the lower wing bar and the start of the
>> pale fringes on the secondaries. This space is much larger in the
>> Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few field guides from
>> my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published illustrations. I
>> found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North
>> America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious in
>> Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the
>> Sibley Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of
>> the Journal of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113
>> museum specimens that had been identified based on locality. They found
>> their technique correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled
>> as a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was
>> identified as a “Western Flycatcher” by their technique. Amazingly, when
>> the mtDNA of this specimen was examined, the specimen proved to be

Re: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-09 Thread Peter Reisfeld 
While I do not profess expertise in this matter, I just wanted to comment on 
the study by Baumann et. al in the Journal of Field Ornithology on 
distinguishing Western and yellow bellied flycatcher. While precise separation 
required in the hand measurement of wing and buffy fringe lengths, as others 
have noted the space space between the proximal edge of the buffy fringing on 
the secondaries and lower wing bar was judged to be a good field mark. 

On the photo used to illustrate this, the band between the lower wing bar and 
the top edge of the fringe is about 1/3 of the length of the visible 
secondaries on the yellow-bellied, while not more than 1/4 of this length on 
the western.  Looking at several of the photos of the Inwood bird, the band is 
much closer to 1/4 than 1/3.  I think this would support western, rather than 
yellow, as some have previously commented.

Peter
> On Dec 9, 2016, at 11:01 AM, Anders Peltomaa <anders.pelto...@gmail.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for the reminder Shai,
> 
> Here is a link to a PDF of the article that Joe referenced.
> 
> https://biology.unm.edu/Witt/pub_files/Baumann-etal-2014-JFO-yellow-Empid-ID-jofo12078.pdf
> 
> good birding,
> 
> Anders Peltomaa
> Manhattan
> 
> On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 9:12 AM, Shaibal Mitra <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu>
> wrote:
> 
>> In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory
>> for our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post
>> from Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the
>> wing pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would
>> agree that this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
>> 
>> It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick
>> with me to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000!
>> So n.b. to those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning
>> until later, front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!
>> 
>> From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu <bounce-118614530-3714613@
>> list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo <jdic...@nyc.rr.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
>> To: NYSBirds
>> Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
>> 
>> 
>> Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85,
>> no. 4, December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders
>> check for ID articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in
>> it: “Simple technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from
>> Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N.
>> D. Pederson and C. C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the
>> article for all the details, many of which involve measurements that can
>> only be done in the hand, but there is one character that can be used to
>> distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the
>> complex composed of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the
>> space on the folded wing between the lower wing bar and the start of the
>> pale fringes on the secondaries. This space is much larger in the
>> Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few field guides from
>> my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published illustrations. I
>> found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North
>> America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious in
>> Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the
>> Sibley Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of
>> the Journal of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113
>> museum specimens that had been identified based on locality. They found
>> their technique correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled
>> as a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was
>> identified as a “Western Flycatcher” by their technique. Amazingly, when
>> the mtDNA of this specimen was examined, the specimen proved to be a
>> “Western Flycatcher”, the first for the complex for Illinois!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Distinguishing a Yellow-bellied Fly from a “Western Fly” has not come up
>> yet in New York, but hey, you never know.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Joe DiCostanzo
>> 
>> www.greatgullisland.org<http://www.greatgullisland.org/>
>> 
>> www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com>
>> 
>> [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlSALCVoYnM/U0SFqj6uWfI/
>>

Re: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-09 Thread Peter Reisfeld 
While I do not profess expertise in this matter, I just wanted to comment on 
the study by Baumann et. al in the Journal of Field Ornithology on 
distinguishing Western and yellow bellied flycatcher. While precise separation 
required in the hand measurement of wing and buffy fringe lengths, as others 
have noted the space space between the proximal edge of the buffy fringing on 
the secondaries and lower wing bar was judged to be a good field mark. 

On the photo used to illustrate this, the band between the lower wing bar and 
the top edge of the fringe is about 1/3 of the length of the visible 
secondaries on the yellow-bellied, while not more than 1/4 of this length on 
the western.  Looking at several of the photos of the Inwood bird, the band is 
much closer to 1/4 than 1/3.  I think this would support western, rather than 
yellow, as some have previously commented.

Peter
> On Dec 9, 2016, at 11:01 AM, Anders Peltomaa  
> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for the reminder Shai,
> 
> Here is a link to a PDF of the article that Joe referenced.
> 
> https://biology.unm.edu/Witt/pub_files/Baumann-etal-2014-JFO-yellow-Empid-ID-jofo12078.pdf
> 
> good birding,
> 
> Anders Peltomaa
> Manhattan
> 
> On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 9:12 AM, Shaibal Mitra 
> wrote:
> 
>> In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory
>> for our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post
>> from Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the
>> wing pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would
>> agree that this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
>> 
>> It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick
>> with me to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000!
>> So n.b. to those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning
>> until later, front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!
>> 
>> From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu > list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo 
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
>> To: NYSBirds
>> Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
>> 
>> 
>> Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85,
>> no. 4, December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders
>> check for ID articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in
>> it: “Simple technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from
>> Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N.
>> D. Pederson and C. C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the
>> article for all the details, many of which involve measurements that can
>> only be done in the hand, but there is one character that can be used to
>> distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the
>> complex composed of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the
>> space on the folded wing between the lower wing bar and the start of the
>> pale fringes on the secondaries. This space is much larger in the
>> Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few field guides from
>> my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published illustrations. I
>> found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North
>> America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious in
>> Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the
>> Sibley Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of
>> the Journal of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113
>> museum specimens that had been identified based on locality. They found
>> their technique correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled
>> as a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was
>> identified as a “Western Flycatcher” by their technique. Amazingly, when
>> the mtDNA of this specimen was examined, the specimen proved to be a
>> “Western Flycatcher”, the first for the complex for Illinois!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Distinguishing a Yellow-bellied Fly from a “Western Fly” has not come up
>> yet in New York, but hey, you never know.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Joe DiCostanzo
>> 
>> www.greatgullisland.org<http://www.greatgullisland.org/>
>> 
>> www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com>
>> 
>> [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlSALCVoYnM/U0SFqj6uWfI/
>> AWQ/xYjr3pf15r0/s80/Joe.jpg]<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/
>>> 
>> 
>> Inwood Birder<http:/

Re: FW: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-09 Thread Anders Peltomaa 
Thanks for the reminder Shai,

Here is a link to a PDF of the article that Joe referenced.

https://biology.unm.edu/Witt/pub_files/Baumann-etal-2014-JFO-yellow-Empid-ID-jofo12078.pdf

good birding,

Anders Peltomaa
Manhattan

On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 9:12 AM, Shaibal Mitra <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu>
wrote:

> In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory
> for our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post
> from Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the
> wing pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would
> agree that this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
>
> It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick
> with me to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000!
> So n.b. to those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning
> until later, front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!
> 
> From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu <bounce-118614530-3714613@
> list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo <jdic...@nyc.rr.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
> To: NYSBirds
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
>
>
> Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85,
> no. 4, December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders
> check for ID articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in
> it: “Simple technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from
> Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N.
> D. Pederson and C. C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the
> article for all the details, many of which involve measurements that can
> only be done in the hand, but there is one character that can be used to
> distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the
> complex composed of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the
> space on the folded wing between the lower wing bar and the start of the
> pale fringes on the secondaries. This space is much larger in the
> Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few field guides from
> my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published illustrations. I
> found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North
> America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious in
> Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the
> Sibley Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of
> the Journal of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113
> museum specimens that had been identified based on locality. They found
> their technique correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled
> as a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was
> identified as a “Western Flycatcher” by their technique. Amazingly, when
> the mtDNA of this specimen was examined, the specimen proved to be a
> “Western Flycatcher”, the first for the complex for Illinois!
>
>
>
> Distinguishing a Yellow-bellied Fly from a “Western Fly” has not come up
> yet in New York, but hey, you never know.
>
>
>
> Joe DiCostanzo
>
> www.greatgullisland.org<http://www.greatgullisland.org/>
>
> www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com>
>
> [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlSALCVoYnM/U0SFqj6uWfI/
> AWQ/xYjr3pf15r0/s80/Joe.jpg]<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/
> >
>
> Inwood Birder<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/>
> www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com
> A very pretty morning in the Ramble for my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk
> group. It would have been an even prettier morning if there had been more
> birds around!
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> NYSbirds-L List Info:
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>
>

Re: FW: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-09 Thread Anders Peltomaa 
Thanks for the reminder Shai,

Here is a link to a PDF of the article that Joe referenced.

https://biology.unm.edu/Witt/pub_files/Baumann-etal-2014-JFO-yellow-Empid-ID-jofo12078.pdf

good birding,

Anders Peltomaa
Manhattan

On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 9:12 AM, Shaibal Mitra 
wrote:

> In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory
> for our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post
> from Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the
> wing pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would
> agree that this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
>
> It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick
> with me to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000!
> So n.b. to those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning
> until later, front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!
> 
> From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu  list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo 
> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
> To: NYSBirds
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip
>
>
> Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85,
> no. 4, December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders
> check for ID articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in
> it: “Simple technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from
> Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N.
> D. Pederson and C. C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the
> article for all the details, many of which involve measurements that can
> only be done in the hand, but there is one character that can be used to
> distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the
> complex composed of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the
> space on the folded wing between the lower wing bar and the start of the
> pale fringes on the secondaries. This space is much larger in the
> Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few field guides from
> my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published illustrations. I
> found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of North
> America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious in
> Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the
> Sibley Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of
> the Journal of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113
> museum specimens that had been identified based on locality. They found
> their technique correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled
> as a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was
> identified as a “Western Flycatcher” by their technique. Amazingly, when
> the mtDNA of this specimen was examined, the specimen proved to be a
> “Western Flycatcher”, the first for the complex for Illinois!
>
>
>
> Distinguishing a Yellow-bellied Fly from a “Western Fly” has not come up
> yet in New York, but hey, you never know.
>
>
>
> Joe DiCostanzo
>
> www.greatgullisland.org<http://www.greatgullisland.org/>
>
> www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com>
>
> [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlSALCVoYnM/U0SFqj6uWfI/
> AWQ/xYjr3pf15r0/s80/Joe.jpg]<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/
> >
>
> Inwood Birder<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/>
> www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com
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> birds around!
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FW: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-09 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory for 
our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post from 
Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the wing 
pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would agree that 
this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick with me 
to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000! So n.b. to 
those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning until later, 
front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!

From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu 
<bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo 
<jdic...@nyc.rr.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
To: NYSBirds
Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip


Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85, no. 4, 
December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders check for ID 
articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in it: “Simple 
technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from Cordilleran and 
Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N. D. Pederson and C. 
C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the article for all the 
details, many of which involve measurements that can only be done in the hand, 
but there is one character that can be used to distinguish Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the complex composed of Cordilleran and 
Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the space on the folded wing between the 
lower wing bar and the start of the pale fringes on the secondaries. This space 
is much larger in the Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few 
field guides from my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published 
illustrations. I found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of 
North America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious 
in Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the Sibley 
Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of the Journal 
of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113 museum specimens 
that had been identified based on locality. They found their technique 
correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled as a Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was identified as a “Western 
Flycatcher” by their technique. Amazingly, when the mtDNA of this specimen was 
examined, the specimen proved to be a “Western Flycatcher”, the first for the 
complex for Illinois!



Distinguishing a Yellow-bellied Fly from a “Western Fly” has not come up yet in 
New York, but hey, you never know.



Joe DiCostanzo

www.greatgullisland.org<http://www.greatgullisland.org/>

www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com>

[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlSALCVoYnM/U0SFqj6uWfI/AWQ/xYjr3pf15r0/s80/Joe.jpg]<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/>

Inwood Birder<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/>
www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com
A very pretty morning in the Ramble for my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk 
group. It would have been an even prettier morning if there had been more birds 
around!





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FW: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2016-12-09 Thread Shaibal Mitra 
In a really nice example of how this list serves as institutional memory for 
our community, Dave Klauber just reminded me of this very relevant post from 
Joe DiCostanzo, from December 2014. It details the foundation of the wing 
pattern feature mentioned in the Whatbird discussions, and I would agree that 
this feature also favors Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

It's not fun to admit this, but the things I learn nowadays don't stick with me 
to nearly the same degree as the things I learned before, say 2000! So n.b. to 
those whose brains are still limber: don't put off learning until later, 
front-load the data hoarding as much as possible!

From: bounce-118614530-3714...@list.cornell.edu 
 on behalf of Joe DiCostanzo 

Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 7:24 PM
To: NYSBirds
Subject: [nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip


Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85, no. 4, 
December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders check for ID 
articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in it: “Simple 
technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from Cordilleran and 
Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N. D. Pederson and C. 
C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the article for all the 
details, many of which involve measurements that can only be done in the hand, 
but there is one character that can be used to distinguish Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher from “Western Flycatcher” (the complex composed of Cordilleran and 
Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the space on the folded wing between the 
lower wing bar and the start of the pale fringes on the secondaries. This space 
is much larger in the Yellow-bellied than in the “Western”. I pulled out a few 
field guides from my bookshelf to see if it was distinguishable in published 
illustrations. I found it was apparent in the photos in Kenn Kaufman’s Birds of 
North America (at least in the first edition that I have). It was also obvious 
in Dave Sibley’s paintings of these species in his Second Edition of the Sibley 
Guide to Birds (I didn’t check the first edition). The authors of the Journal 
of Field Ornithology article tested their technique on 113 museum specimens 
that had been identified based on locality. They found their technique 
correctly place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled as a Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was identified as a “Western 
Flycatcher” by their technique. Amazingly, when the mtDNA of this specimen was 
examined, the specimen proved to be a “Western Flycatcher”, the first for the 
complex for Illinois!



Distinguishing a Yellow-bellied Fly from a “Western Fly” has not come up yet in 
New York, but hey, you never know.



Joe DiCostanzo

www.greatgullisland.org<http://www.greatgullisland.org/>

www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com>

[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlSALCVoYnM/U0SFqj6uWfI/AWQ/xYjr3pf15r0/s80/Joe.jpg]<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/>

Inwood Birder<http://www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com/>
www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com
A very pretty morning in the Ramble for my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk 
group. It would have been an even prettier morning if there had been more birds 
around!





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[nysbirds-l] New Empidonax identification tip

2014-12-10 Thread Joe DiCostanzo 
Just got the current issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology (vol. 85, no.
4, December 2014). I figure this is not a journal that most birders check
for ID articles so I thought I would draw attention to an article in it:
"Simple technique for distinguishing Yellow-bellied Flycatchers from
Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers by M. J. Baumann, S. C. Galen, N.
D. Pederson and C. C. Witt. Pp. 391-396. Anyone interested should read the
article for all the details, many of which involve measurements that can
only be done in the hand, but there is one character that can be used to
distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatcher from "Western Flycatcher" (the complex
composed of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flys.). It involves the space on
the folded wing between the lower wing bar and the start of the pale fringes
on the secondaries. This space is much larger in the Yellow-bellied than in
the "Western". I pulled out a few field guides from my bookshelf to see if
it was distinguishable in published illustrations. I found it was apparent
in the photos in Kenn Kaufman's Birds of North America (at least in the
first edition that I have). It was also obvious in Dave Sibley's paintings
of these species in his Second Edition of the Sibley Guide to Birds (I
didn't check the first edition). The authors of the Journal of Field
Ornithology article tested their technique on 113 museum specimens that had
been identified based on locality. They found their technique correctly
place 112 of the specimens. One specimen labeled as a Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher that had been collected in Illinois was identified as a "Western
Flycatcher" by their technique. Amazingly, when the mtDNA of this specimen
was examined, the specimen proved to be a "Western Flycatcher", the first
for the complex for Illinois!

 

Distinguishing a Yellow-bellied Fly from a "Western Fly" has not come up yet
in New York, but hey, you never know.

 

Joe DiCostanzo

www.greatgullisland.org  

www.inwoodbirder.blogspot.com

 


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