OHIO-BIRDS Archives

November 2008

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From:
Kenn Kaufman <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Kenn Kaufman <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:06:49 -0500
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Ronnie Macko and Shari Jackson were kind enough to send me some photos of
the vireo that they've been watching in northeastern Stark County, and it is
indeed a Warbling Vireo, as they had suggested earlier.  Of course a
Warbling Vireo in Ohio in late November represents a highly unusual record.
But this one appears to be even more unusual than that, because my
impression from the photos is that it's probably not an eastern bird.  It
looks more like one of the western populations, perhaps the subspecies V. g.
swainsoni, which breeds in western Canada, extreme southeastern Alaska, and
the Pacific Northwest.  This form is accidental in the east, although I know
it has been documented in Florida at least once.

The Warbling Vireos from the Pacific Northwest differ from the eastern birds
in that they average smaller, with a proportionately smaller bill, making
them look closer to the shape of a Philadelphia Vireo.  Enhancing that
impression is their overall color, with some contrast between the blue-gray
crown and greenish back, whereas eastern Warbling Vireos tend to be more
uniformly grayish above.  The most brightly colored eastern Warblings have a
strong yellow wash on the flanks, while the western birds usually lack this;
any yellow they show below is a faint suffusion through the entire
underparts.  So if I'm correct that the Stark County bird is from the
Pacific Northwest, it's understandable that the observers considered the
possibility of Philadelphia Vireo when they first saw it.

Some biologists have suggested that Eastern and Western Warbling Vireos
could be two separate species.  That split hasn't been formalized by the
AOU, pending more studies where the breeding ranges come in contact, but it
may happen in the future.  So the Stark County bird potentially represents a
first state record.  Kudos to Ronnie and Shari for making the considerable
effort to study this bird and to document it with photographs.

Kenn Kaufman
Rocky Ridge, Ohio

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