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Posted by Robin Diaz on 08:48:02 07/16/08
In Reply to: Re: Northern Waterthrush posted by Bryant Roberts
Included is a poor photo of a Northern Waterthrush banded in Cape Florida on 9/16/05. The yellowish wash probably shows the extreme limits of the species. [Michelle ask if its Mama was a Hooded Warbler!]
Recognizing 4 races of NOWA is a fuzzy area within the ornithological community. However, birds that breed in the NE part of North American and Alaska tend to show a yellow wash, but not striking. Since these birds migrate through FL in large numbers, quite a few with yellowish wash are banded in fall. Bryant's comments are confirmed by our observations; 1 NOWA had a white supercilium, though it conformed to usual shape for the species. We have only encountered 1 NOWA lacking spots or streaks on its chin. As Bryant points out, flank color, bill size and call note are the most reliable field marks to separate Northern from Louisiana. According to Dunn & Garrett, Northern Waterthrush is an early fall migrant but always follows Louisiana Waterthrush fall movement.
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