John B Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 The small bird was spotted today in Merrill, WI around 2:00 PM. It was about the size and color of a sparrow, but much slimmer, with a longer slim beak. The color was various shades of gray/brown/black but the most distinctive marking was a bright yellow patch about 3/4” in diameter at the top base of tail feathers/lower back. The bird perched in a crabapple tree and then flew to the ground and appeared to snatch a bug and then flew back up to perch in another small tree. I have searched several field guides with no luck. Any help identifying the bird will be appreciated John 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) Welcome to Whatbird! Based on your excellent description of size, color, and behavior, try this Yellow-rumped Warbler. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler Edited May 4, 2022 by Charlie Spencer 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 The yellow rumpled warbler appears close, but I do not recall seeing any other yellow on the bird other than the rump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 Just now, John B said: The yellow rumpled warbler appears close, but I do not recall seeing any other yellow on the bird other than the rump. Yellow rumped. I hate spell check! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWM Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Female Yellow-rump look fairly drab except for yellow rump patch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulK Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) This sounds like a Pine Siskin to me, especially the description of the long slim beak - please see https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Siskin/id Edited May 4, 2022 by PaulK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 Looking at more pictures of the yellow rumped warbler, I believe this is the bird. It had a very bright/distinctive yellow patch about the size of a quarter on the rump. Thank you! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 24 minutes ago, John B said: Looking at more pictures of the yellow rumped warbler, I believe this is the bird. It had a very bright/distinctive yellow patch about the size of a quarter on the rump. Thank you! Depending on the angle and on how the bird has positioned its feathers, the yellow on the sides and head may not be visible. Glad we could help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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