Hi Amy! Don't worry about asking questions--birding is hard, and I think I speak on behalf of the CObirds community when I say we love helping newer birders learn the many facets of bird identification! You have photographed a non-breeding plumage Yellow-rumped Warbler. Note that the throat is pale yellow (adult "Audubon" Yellow-rumped Warblers would have a much fuller yellow throat. There is another subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler called "Myrtle" that have white throats instead of yellow throats). Also note that the "armpit" is yellow--a mark that points to Yellow-rumped Warbler. The only other non-male breeding plumage warbler that has yellow armpits is the American Redstart, but those birds are much darker on their backs. The white eye arcs, dull gray back, dull wing bars, and dark streaks along the flanks are all marks that point toward non-breeding Yellow-rumped Warbler. Although your photo doesn't show it, these birds flash yellow on their rumps, hence their name (and their nickname "butterbutt"). Come spring, you'll get to enjoy seeing lots of these guys in their gorgeous adult breeding plumages!
*The birds are happy, and so am I* *~Caleb Alons, Larimer County* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/44c7db82-24e1-46db-86c2-8622f3b71027n%40googlegroups.com.
