HKBWS BBS 香港觀鳥會新聞組


    
      
        HKBWS BBS 香 港 觀 鳥 會 新 聞 組
        (http://www.hkbws.org.hk/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl)
      

        Discussion Area 討論區 >> Bird Identification 鳥類辨識 >>  Arctic Warbler xanthrodryas?
        
(Message started by: geoff_welch on May 19^th, 2006, 11:44am)

Title: Arctic Warbler xanthrodryas?
Post by geoff_welch on May 19^th, 2006, 11:44am

http://www.geocities.com/geoffwelch46/awx1.jpg http://www.geocities.com/geoffwelch46/awx2.jpg http://www.geocities.com/geoffwelch46/awx3.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/geoffwelch46/awx4.jpg

There were two birds like this on Po Toi on 14th May. I wondered if they were the xanthrodryas form of Arctic Warbler (as mentioned in BHKSC) or are they something else? The bill looks rather dark for Arctic.

Title: Re: Arctic Warbler xanthrodryas?
Post by Michael_Leven on May 19^th, 2006, 12:08pm

Hi Geoff

Useful photos. I think that they quite probably are xanthodryas, based on the heavy bill and (though difficult to judge from photos) apparent large size. However, I don't think that there are any 100% field characters for this form. Most can be identified in the hand from their large size and bill length.

Interestingly the only 100% xanthodryas which I have seen was a bird which I trapped in late May - perhaps this form is a later migrant than nominate (which would not be surprising as it is heading further north).

Best regards

Mike Leven