FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] Additional Notes on Scott's Oriole by Peter Pyle

[David Roemer <dlroemer@xxxxxxxxx>]

Peter Pyle has been kind enough to review photos of
the Scott's Oriole and share his thoughts on its age
and sex.  His email is copied below.

David L. Roemer
Bowling Green, Ky.


 
Hi Dave -

Thanks for sending the crisp images. It is certainly a
first-cycle 
bird (SY now) by the molt limits in the wing. It looks
like it has 
replaced all greater coverts and the inner two
tertials during the 
preformative molt, which would be typical. I can't
tell if some or 
all rectrices have been replaced. They look pretty
fresh for juvenile 
feathers so I suspect that they may be new as well.

The lack of black in the head and throat (except
perhaps for one 
lateral throat feather - OK for SY female) the
indistinct streaks in 
the back, the dusky (rather than blackish) greater
coverts, and the 
greenish central rectrices (assuming formative
feathers) all indicate 
female. However, I think it would be worth being at
least a little 
cautious on the sex. An out-of-range bird may not
necessarily molt in 
black feathers by this time . Size does not vary as
much in Scott's 
as it does in some other orioles, although males
should look a bit 
larger than females. All in all I'm pretty comfortable
with it being 
a female, especially if it seems small. An SY male
that has replaced 
that many coverts and tertials should have a lot more
black in the 
head.

Hope this helps,

Peter







 
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