Posted by Don Roberson (206.55.248.83) on April 10, 2003 at 11:44:01:
In Reply to: Mystery Passerine posted by Bruce Deuel on April 07, 2003 at 11:35:43:
Like Bruce Deuel, I am having trouble with this one because of the streaking on the flanks. That is not a feature I associate with Hutton's Vireo (e.g., see my photo of one at http://montereybay.com/creagrus/HUVI-v-RCKI.html ).
Two other things bother me for that i.d.: (a) the bird looks very white below, esp. the undertail coverts and (b) the bird looks very gray-headed to me. Hutton's should be more olive above, and dingier below. However, both could be artifacts of the photo and/or my monitor.
If it is not a Hutton's, and I do think it is a vireo on bill shape, the only gray-and-white vireos are Plumbeous, Gray, and "Least" Bell's Vireo. The bill seems too small for Plumbeous and the eye-ring (with a break above the eye) all wrong. The upright stance looks very odd for Bell's, and I don't think of Bell's as "big-headed" like this bird. The "big-headed" look is good for Hutton's.
Since this is all off the top of my head, I don't know why this isn't a Gray Vireo. Perhaps they are big-billed also. I just don't remember. Can they (like the 'Solitary' complex) show diffuse flank streaks?
This probably works out to be a Hutton's with side-streaks, but it remains a mystery to me.
Don Roberson