Recently on Labird, the possibility of migrant Golden-cheeked Warblers passing through Louisiana was discussed. While there are no documented sightings for Louisiana, there are records for Gulf coastal Florida and the Texas coast. It's definitely a species to keep an eye out for, so are you ready?
Take a look at the two birds below with an eye to similarities and differences:
The top bird is a Black-throated Green Warbler, a common Louisiana migrant that's highly variable in many features. Below it is a Golden-cheeked Warbler/ Superficially, the two birds are very similar, especially because this Golden-cheeked has some messed-up facial plumage. Given great looks, it should be fairly straightforward to separate the dark eyeline of Golden-cheeked from the duller greenish pattern on the auriculars of the Black-throated Green, but birds don't always pose, plumage can be worn or damaged, and sometimes we're left with looks that don't offer much in the way of portrait art.
The Black-throated Green has a couple of other features that might help out. Note that the yellowish of the uppertail coverts sneaks down the flanks toward the vent, the crown is greenish, and the mantle is a velvety greenish.
Compare that to the underparts of the same Golden-cheeked as above:
The darker crown of the Golden-cheeked is also distinctive:
The back can also be a lot grayer than on a Black-throated Green.
Hopefully when the first Golden-cheeked Warbler is found, it will be a well-marked bird.
