Ageing and sexing details:
Spring males have a prominent black mask;
ASY males also tend to have much more black on the back than SY males,
but it is advisable to confirm age by looking at the wing and/or tail.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2005
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
The photo below shows a typical after-second-year male wing, with black
primary coverts contrasting little with the greater coverts.
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2005
This is a typical after-second-year male tail, with broad rectrices that
are rounded at the tip, and an extensive white patch on r2 almost as
large as that on the outer four rectrices.
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2005
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Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
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Second-year males have a black mask just
like after-second-year males, but tend to have less black on the back.
Nonetheless, the wing and/or tail should be checked to confirm age.
Sometimes, as in the example below, the brownish alula and primary
coverts contrast visibly with the black greater coverts even when
perched.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2006
Note in both photos below the considerable contrast between the brownish
primary coverts and the black greater coverts, as well as the narrow and
pointed shape of the outer primary coverts. The extent of
replacement of the greater coverts is somewhat variable, as reflected by
the second photo in which the outer greater coverts are faded and worn;
nonetheless the primary coverts remain diagnostic, especially when
compared to the inner greater coverts.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2006
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2006
The photo below shows a fairly typical second-year male tail, with
relatively narrow and pointed rectrices, and a moderately large white
patch on r2 that is only a bit smaller than the patches on the outer
four rectrices.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2006
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
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Females lack a black facial mask and have
less spotting on the breast than males. Sometimes second-year
females can be recognized when perched by their brownish primary
coverts, but the contrast is more subtle on them than on males, and
closer examination of the wing and tail is recommended.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2005
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
This pattern in the photo below is fairly typical of a second-year
female wing, with dark gray to blackish greater coverts noticeably
darker than the grayish-brown primary coverts, the outer ones of which
are narrow and pointed (the primary coverts are often somewhat more
brownish, as in the second photo). The unreplaced and somewhat worn
tertials are also a good indicator of second-year birds of either sex.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2005
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
The rectrices are relatively narrow and pointed toward the tip, though
not as much so as on some other small passerines. However, note
that on r3 the white spot is reduced and on r2 it is entirely absent;
some second-year females will have a spot on r2 though.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2005
Photo by Marie-Anne Hudson,
McGill Bird Observatory, May 2007
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After-hatch-year
birds are recognizable by their uniformly dark wings; males have a
bolder overall plumage than females, but wing and tail should be
examined to be confident of sex in fall.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, September 2005
This is a typical after-hatch-year male wing, with
black primary coverts contrasting little with the greater coverts, and
solid black tertials with prominent white edging.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, September 2005
This is a typical after-hatch-year male tail, with broad rectrices that
are rounded at the tip, and an extensive white patch on r2 almost as
large as that on the outer four rectrices.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, September 2005
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In summer and early fall, some
after-hatch-year Magnolia Warblers can be aged as second-year if they
have retain juvenal feathers, which are particularly faded and worn by
this time. Such a bird can often be identified as such even in the
field - for example, in the photo below, some pale brown unreplaced
secondaries are visible.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
The presence of unreplaced juvenal feathers on the
wing is much easier to see on the photos below. In the upper
photo, the outer secondaries are growing in, replacing the very faded
and worn juvenal inner secondaries. The bird in the lower photo
was caught a bit earlier in the moult cycle, with the outermost primary
coverts and primaries still unreplaced juvenal feathers, and only the
outermost secondary replaced so far.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
The tail is likely to
be of little value in identifying a Magnolia Warbler as second-year, as
the individuals that have been caught in moult at MBO have replaced
their tail prior to completing their wing moult.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
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After-hatch-year
birds are recognizable by their uniformly dark wings; females have a
somewhat paler overall plumage than females (more grayish than
blackish), but wing and tail should be examined to be confident of sex
in fall.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
On after-hatch-year
females, the primary coverts may be a slightly lighter shade of dark
gray than the greater coverts, but they are uniform in wear, and the
outer primary coverts are broad and rounded.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
The rectrices are fairly
broad until near the tip and generally somewhat rounded, although some
after-hatch-year birds do show a bit of a point as in the example below;
wing features are more reliable.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
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Hatch-year
birds may show a contrast between primary coverts and greater coverts
when perched, but more often the open wing and tail need to be examined
to assess age and sex.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
On hatch-year Magnolia Warblers, the primary coverts
are a brownish-gray, uniform with the primaries, but contrasting with
the noticeably darker and fresher greater coverts. Sex can often not be
determined, but males tend to be somewhat darker, and in combination
with "male-type" tails it is possible that a significant proportion can
be correctly sexed.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
The tail may be
particularly useful in separating hatch-year males and females.
All hatch-year Magnolia Warblers have relatively narrow rectrices that
taper toward a point, but those with particularly dark rectrices and a
white spot on r2 at least 2/3 the size of that on r3 are very likely to
be males; with smaller white patches sex is questionable.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
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Hatch-year
birds may show a contrast between primary coverts and greater coverts
when perched, but more often the open wing and tail need to be examined
to assess age and sex.
Photos by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
On hatch-year Magnolia Warblers, the primary coverts
are a brownish-gray, uniform with the primaries, but contrasting with
the noticeably darker and fresher greater coverts. Sex can often not be
determined, but females tend to be somewhat paler, and in combination
with "female-type" tails it is possible that a significant proportion
can be correctly sexed.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
The tail may be
particularly useful in separating hatch-year males and females.
All hatch-year Magnolia Warblers have relatively narrow rectrices that
taper toward a point, but those entirely lacking a white spot on r2,
such as the bird below, are almost certainly females. Note too
that even on the outer rectrices the white spots are much smaller than
on the hatch-year male shown above. However, many hatch-year
Magnolia Warblers have tails with intermediate characteristics and are
not safely sexed.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
McGill Bird Observatory, August 2005
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