Connecticut warblers and other little yellow things

The pace of banding has slowed down a bit with the wind shift back to easterly, but new species continue to arrive. We banded this adult female Connecticut warbler on Sept 28, only the fourth one to be banded in the fall at Cape Florida. This species has a similar migration route to the Blackpoll warbler and generally stays offshore in fall. She was in good condition, though, with enough fat reserves to continue on her way.

There are several warbler species that look very similar in fall, in particular young birds and females. By far the most abundant is the Common yellowthroat, and migrants flood south Florida in late Sept and Oct, some to stay the winter and others passing through. Male yellowthroats have the familiar ‘raccoon’ mask and are easily identifiable, but young females can be drab. Note the yellow throat, buffy belly and lack of a prominent eye ring on the Common yellowthroat female below. The Connecticut warbler has a grayish or brownish head, bright yellow underparts and is a slightly larger bird with long wingtips and a short tail. They are designed for long-distance flight to wintering grounds in the Amazon Basin. Yellowthroats do not travel so far and they have shorter wings but longer tails for increased maneuverability in brushy habitats.

Mourning warbler (pictured below) is another rarity in South Florida, and this individual was banded in Fall 2012. We have only captured 6 of these in 12 years of banding, compared to 997 Common yellowthroats. Mourning warblers are early migrants and should be looked for in August and September, before the bulk of the yellowthroats arrive.  Their overall shape is more similar to the yellowthroat than the Connecticut, but they are much more yellow overall, especially on the underparts.

Some other species arriving now are White-eyed vireos, Acadian flycatchers and Hooded warblers, and the first Gray catbird of the season was banded today Sept 30. Raptors are picking up the pace with Merlins and Broad-winged hawks seen over Cape Florida in the last two days. The National Weather Service is teasing us with the suggestion of a real cold front passing by late this weekend!

Above: adult White-eyed vireo      Below: male Hooded warbler