Fall Warblers – The Tennessee Warbler

This Tennessee Warbler was quite yellow, unlike its spring plumage. Key features that indicate its ID include the sharp bill, the supercilium (line above the eye), pale arcs above and below the eye (not a complete eye ring), faint wing bars, and lack of streaking. The back of the bird is greenish and the breast is paler. 

 This photo shows the green back, and gives a clearer view of the dark line through the eye. We can also see the long primary projection…that term refers to (when the wings are folded) the distance the longest (outermost) wing feathers extend beyond the “tertials” which are the feathers closest to the body when the wing is spread. The bird has long wings

  In this photo, we can see the Tennessee Warbler’s undertail coverts, which in this bird are white. In this species, the undertail coverts are always whiter than the breast. We can also see that it has long wings and a short tail.

Submitted by: Carena Pooth