Adult male yellow warbler, Dendroica (petechia) aestiva, also known as the yellowbird, photographed at Sabine Woods and Sabine Pass, Texas, USA.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 28 April 2008 [velociraptorize].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400
Question: This stunning North American mystery bird is part of a large population comprised of several cryptic species (or so we think now). Can you name this bird's species, subspecies and population group as well as its gender?
Response: This is an adult male yellow warbler, Dendroica petechia aestiva or alternatively, Dendroica aestiva. There are 35 or so subspecies of the wide-ranging D. petechia although they are usually divided into either two or three main groups based on the males' head colour in the breeding season. These groups, often thought of as separate species due to their distinct songs, are known as the (1) aestiva (yellow warbler) group, the (2) petechia (golden warbler) group and (3) the erithachorides (mangrove warbler) group. Sometimes, the golden and mangrove warblers are united into the petechia group, probably because both groups live and breed in mangroves, whilst yellow warblers breed in riparian areas.
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
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