Bay-breasted warbler
Dendroica castanea
Identification Tips:
- Small, active, insect-eating bird
- White wing bars
- Thin, pointed bill
- White spots visible on underside of tail
- Black legs
Adult male alternate:
- Brown crown, upper breast and sides
- Black face
- Buffy patch on side of neck
- Whitish underparts
- Female in alternate plumage similar to male but duller with reduced rust
on sides
Basic and immature:
- Greenish crown, nape and back with thin black streaks
- Indistinct supercilium
- Breast somewhat paler than upperparts
- Creamy belly and undertail coverts
- Some rust may be present on sides
Similar species:
In alternate plumage, the only other warbler with rusty sides is the
Chestnut-sided Warbler but it has a yellow crown and white throat. Basic
(fall) and immature plumages are very dull and most similar to Blackpoll and
Pine Warblers. The Blackpoll Warbler has yellow legs, white undertail
coverts, and a streakier breast. Pine Warbler lacks black streaks on the back
and is often yellower on the throat and breast. Often, Bay-breasted Warblers
retain a trace of rusty sides in the fall.