AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO ABACO’S 37 WARBLER SPECIES

The winter warblers are arriving on Abaco right now, and a couple of people have already sent me ID queries. Until a couple of years ago, I lazily believed all of the warblers were near identical, differing only in their extent of yellowness. Not so. I know better now. Their arrival now has prompted me to devise a general guide to all the various warblers, so that the great diversity can be appreciated. The photos that follow show an example of each warbler, where possible (1) male (2) in breeding plumage and (3) taken on Abaco. Where I had no Abaco images – especially with the transients – I have used other mainstream birding resources and Wiki. All due credits at the foot of the post.

Abaco has 37 warbler species recorded for the main island and cays. They fall into 3 categories: 5 permanent residents (PR) that breed on Abaco (B), of which two are endemics; 21 winter residents (WR) ranging from ‘everyday’ species to rarities such as the Kirtland’s Warbler; and 11 transients, most of which you will be lucky to encounter. The codes given for each bird show the residence status and also the likelihood of seeing each species in its season, rated from 1 (very likely) to 5 (extreme rarities, maybe only recorded once or twice).

PERMANENT RESIDENTS

BAHAMA YELLOWTHROAT Geothlypis rostrata PR B 1  ENDEMIC

YELLOW WARBLER Setophaga petechia PR B 1 

OLIVE-CAPPED WARBLER Setophaga pityophila PR B 1 

PINE WARBLER Setophaga pinus PR B 1 

BAHAMA WARBLER Setophaga flavescens PR B 1 ENDEMIC

WINTER RESIDENTS  (COMMON)

OVENBIRD Seiurus aurocapilla WR 1 

WORM-EATING WARBLER Helmitheros vermivorum WR 2 

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH  Parkesia noveboracensis WR 1 

BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER Mniotilta varia WR 2 

COMMON YELLOWTHROAT Geothlypis trichas WR 1 

AMERICAN REDSTART  Setophaga ruticilla WR 1 

CAPE MAY WARBLER Setophaga tigrina WR 1 

NORTHERN PARULA Setophaga americana WR 1 

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER Setophaga caerulescens WR 2 

PALM WARBLER  Setophaga palmarum WR 1 

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER Setophaga coronata WR 2 

YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER Setophaga dominica WR 1 

PRAIRIE WARBLER Setophaga discolor WR 1 

 WINTER RESIDENTS  (UNCOMMON TO RARE)

LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH Parkesia motacilla WR 3 

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER Vermivora cyanoptera WR 3

SWAINSON’S WARBLER  Limnothlypis swainsonii WR 4 

NASHVILLE WARBLER Oreothlypis ruficapilla WR 4 

HOODED WARBLER Setophaga citrina WR 3 

KIRTLAND’S WARBLER Setophaga kirtlandii WR 4 

MAGNOLIA WARBLER Setophaga magnolia WR 3 

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER Setophaga virens WR 3 

TRANSIENTS

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER Protonotaria citrea TR 3 

TENNESSEE WARBLER Oreothlypis peregrina TR 4 

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER  Oreothlypis celata TR 4 

CONNECTICUT WARBLER Oporonis agilis TR 4 

KENTUCKY WARBLER Geothlypis formosa TR 4 

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER Setophaga castanea TR 4 

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Setophaga fusca TR 4

CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER Setophaga pensylvanica TR 4

BLACKPOLL WARBLER Setophaga striata TR 3 

WILSON’S WARBLER Cardellina pusilla TR 4 

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT Icteria virens TR 4 

PHOTO CREDITS (1 – 37) Bruce Hallett (Header, 3, 9, 12, 14, 17, 21, 22); Tom Reed (1, 4); Tom Sheley (2, 7, 10); Alex Hughes (5); Gerlinde Taurer (6, 11, 18);  Becky Marvil (8, 20a); Woody Bracey (13, 24); Peter Mantle (15); RH (16); William H. Majoros wiki (19); talainsphotographyblog (20b, 26, 34); Charmaine Albury (23); Craig Nash (25); Ann Capling (27); Jerry Oldenettel wiki (28); Dominic Sherony wiki (29); 10000birds (30); Steve Maslowski wiki (31);  MDF wiki (32, 33); Avibirds (35); Michael Woodruff wiki (36); Emily Willoughby wiki (37)

CHECKLIST based on the complete checklist and codes for Abaco devised by Tony White with Woody Bracey for “THE DELPHI CLUB GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF ABACO” by Keith Salvesen