Yellow Wagtail race?

[mike meidlinger]

Hey everyone,

I have just come across this picture of a rather interesting yellow wgatil on birdguides.com and on the photographer's (Nick Clayton) website...

What does everybody think? I this a possibility that this could be lutea or just an abberant flavissma?

www.birdguides.com/pictures/default.asp?search=1&rty=0&off=169473&v=0

www.pbase.com/nickclayton/image/95556923

[Josh Jones]

Looks quite lutea-like but concluding anything with Yellow Wagtails is an absolute mission. Nice bird though!

[Russell Slack]

Looks quite lutea-like but concluding anything with Yellow Wagtails is an absolute mission. Nice bird though!

...or could there be some Citrine in this bird perhaps?

The flanks/underparts look quite washed out as well?

Cracking bird though!

[Josh Jones]

I don't think so personally. Yellow Wagtails (even just flavissima on its own) are so variable, as we keep seeing every spring when grey-backed birds turn up. Yellow-headed birds do occur, and from what I can see there isn't much to suggest Citrine aside the bright yellow head.

[JanJ]

The idetification problems concerning males of flavissima/lutea is not to be taken lightly.
The question 'can the two be sparated' is most relevant and according to many - they can´t. The all yellow headed type is common in lutea, most uncommon in flavissima. Birds with yellow forehead and mostly yellow ear coverts are common among lutea and less common in flavissima and birds with all greenish crown including the forehead with a well defined yellow supercilium darrk lore is common in flavissima and uncommon in lutea.

http://www.pbase.com/nielsdeschipper/image/87843596

One character that has been mentioned for lutea is broad yellowish tipps to median and greater coverts, such as seen in the russian birds linked by Marc.
Note typical flavissima characters (lutea can look similar!) but with whitish narrow tips to median coverts, but of course depending on wear and such.

http://www.pbase.com/image/77743408

Note in the lutea below the allmost all yellow head and broad yellowish tips to median and greater coverts:

http://www.zapar.co.il/yellowwagtail.html

and here Israel April:

http://www.israbirding.com/reports/monthly_summaries/apr_05/lutea_wagtail_tomer.jpg

Also this one from Nick,s site showing characters well within the variation of flavissima/lutea.

http://www.pbase.com/nickclayton/image/95556928

Iran April (Björn Johansson)

http://www.sofnet.org/file/LUTEA01JPG?Path=2&ID=2083&File=LUTEA01.JPG

http://www.alsirhan.com/Blog/

JanJ


Today, 16:24

[Brian S]

Andy Birch and I remember a bird at Horsey, a long time ago now, that looked very much like this (but actually greyer on the mantle) and momentarily made us think of Citrine before it started to sing.

Alstrom and Mild (2003) interestingly (and confusingly) comment that on passage through Israel they heard lutea give both a southern-form feldegg-like 'trsreelp' or a flava-like 'pslie' - out of 13, seven gave the former, six the latter, but never did they hear a bird utter both. They do not have any song strophes of lutea.

Brian S

[AndyB]

Yes, I remember that Horsey bird (and the Lark Sparrow we were missing at the time). A problem for the unwary (me!) - a grey backed bird that looked very Citrine like. I think here were a few other birds around that spring being photographed and published in Birding World.

[Brian S]

Actually Andy, I saw the Lark Sparrow, sorry!

Though you may have the last laugh, if ship assistance rules change......

Brian S