Orange-crowned Warbler----lifer?

Please tell me.  Am I right or am I wrong?  I've seen this bird for about a week and finally got a shot.  Here is what I see: 1)- Olive greenish  2)- No wing bars  3)- Warbler bill  4)- Broken eye-ring  5)- Yellow under-tail coverts  6)- Very dusky subdued breast/flank streaking.  I'm thinking Orange-crowned Warbler here but this should be if not rare, at least quite uncommon on the lower South Carolina coast.

Ray Swagerty----Charleston, SC

Ray, although, it looks a lot like one, I have never seen any white on one. Plus, the cap looks a little dark and the tail looks too long. Any chance of it being something like a Black-throated Blue Warbler in winter plumage?

Roy:

It is possible.  The only Black-throated Blues I've seen were males in NC so I'm not personally familiar with the dimorphism thing in them.  In checking it out though, (discounting the white----good point though), I see a split eye-ring as opposed to an under-eye "U" shape.  I also see less of a distinct supercillium.  The Black-throated Blue by "the books" seems to be more yellowish underneath as opposed to just on the undertail coverts.  I see your point about the tail length.  It does seem pretty long.  There is the streaking though, and it seems that there can be whitish in the "bend of the wing" as opposed to a "patch."  I'm open here.  I'm not concerned about a "lifer" really as that means little to me as compared to learning and getting better at field ID.  Right now though I'm not ready to "certify" Black-throated Blue any more than I'm willing to "list or defend" Orange-crowned.  I'm "out of normal range" for both  You may very well be right, but I still have a question or two.  Hey thanks Roy----I've been absent for a while----good to "see" you again. I'll try to do better in the future.    ----till soon.

Ray Swagerty----Charleston, SC

Hi Ray, Note the small black wing patch next to the white. I have never seen either of those on an OCW. Just taking a stab with the BTBW.

Roy:

 I see it.  You may be right.  I do know that it is something that I'm just not used to on the SC coast.

Ray Swagerty----Charleston, SC

 This bird is in fact an Orange-crowned Warbler. Black-throated Blue Warblers do not have stripes like this bird, plus female BTBW have a very distinctive white mark on the primaries. The white you see on this bird is just a tuft of feathers showing the white down which is normally hidden. Another species orange-crowned warblers are often confused with is the first year Tennessee warbler, which can look quite similar. The best way to tell them apart is by looking at the undertail coverts. On OCWA's they are obviously yellow and on first year Tennessee warblers they are pale yellow or white. In addition, the dark stripes on the breast are much more noticable on OCWA's than on TEWA's. I'm thinking this is an adult female Taiga, or, considering it's moulting on the head, a second year female Taiga in mid-moult.

Congrats on the lifer!

I appreciate it y'all.  Lucas, by "taiga" are you referring to the nominate race "celata?"

Ray Swagerty----Charleston, SC

After pulling up a couple of pics I took, I see they do have the small black wing patch. I had never noticed that before, I learn something new every day. I may have to look at my wife more closely...  Maybe Lucas can tell me which ones these are. One has a complete eye ring, the other one doesn't. Both were taken in spring in central Oklahoma. Could the first one be a hybrid Nashville?

 Ray - Yes, I think that's the same one.

Roy - Ah, yes. The top bird is a Nashville warbler. What I see in this bird which makes it unique is the distinct grey head, eye ring as you mentioned,and the white belly that contrasts with the yellow undertail coverts and breast. Dull Nashville warblers and bright orange-crowns can look very similar. A couple of years ago there was a bird that was found here in Nova Scotia which was eventually identified as an orange-crowned. You can read about it here: http://maybank.tripod.com/images/warbler.htm.

As for the second bird, it looks to me like an orange-crowned warbler. After looking at my Sibley's, the amount of dark grey while maintaining yellow around the face and the bright yellow rump makes lean towards an adult female Taiga, like Ray's bird. If you have a better warbler guide you may be able to better identify the sex and subspecies of this bird.

Hope this helps!