Other points to look at on this bird are the dark legs (MacGillivray's are pale), and the undertail coverts that barely extend past the folded wings (longer in MacGillivray's). MacGillivray's also has a pale base to the lower mandible and a slightly down-curved bill. This bird has an all-dark, very straight bill. The slope of the forehead differs between the two species, too, with MacGillivray's having a more sloping profile.
Just looking at the books, one would never expect to confuse these two species. It just goes to show that you often can't rely on the big fieldmarks; you need to look at the small ones too. Kevin -----Original Message----- From: bounce-122145491-3714...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-122145491-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2017 7:25 AM To: NYSBIRDS-L <nysbird...@list.cornell.edu> Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] OCWA or MGWA Hi Bob and all, Orange-crowned Warbler does show white eye arcs: https://flic.kr/p/21mj9ge What looks odd on the Queens bird is the degree of contrast between them and the adjacent feathers. I would even go further and say that in terms of shape, the Queens bird's eye arcs are a much better fit for Orange-crowned than for MacGillivray's. In Orange-crowned, the eye arcs look like portions of perfect semicircles, with small gaps fore and aft. In MacGillivray's, the upper arc in particular is shorter and straighter, which in combination with the thicker, blacker pre-ocular, gives the impression of a stern countenance. Longtime participants in bird ID debates will recall several instances in which extremely experienced people have debated and not agreed on the identity of an individual Oreothlypis, as Orange-crowned vs. Nashville, a struggle that underscores the degree to which Orange-crowned can appear eye-ringed and bright yellow below. Best, Shai ________________________________________ From: Robert Paxton [r...@columbia.edu] Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2017 6:11 AM To: NYSBIRDS-L; Shaibal Mitra Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] OCWA or MGWA Hi Shai et al., No one seems to be commenting on the bright white semi-circles above and below the eye. I have never seen this feature on an Orange-crowned Warbler. Bob Paxfon -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
