Date: 9/16/25 10:54 am From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: [SFBirds] retraction of Indigo Bunting report from 9/14/25
Yesterday (9/15/25) I was made aware of some photos that Nancy Palmer took of a Passerina sp. bunting in the Arboretum which upon examination looked identical to the bird I briefly observed on 9/14 at the nearby Log Cabin trail and reported as a "female Indigo" and that was subsequently reported as an Indigo by a couple of other people as well.
Studying the photos I began to doubt my in the field ID and consulted with several experienced observers with the consensus that this bird is in fact a hatch-year Lazuli. Peter Pyle's notes were especially helpful; see below:
"Yeah it's a worn HY LAZB. The streaks on the upper chest are what's left over from its juvenile feathering. The wing bars are too white and distinct for an INBO of any age/sex. It's early for an HY INBU here but these are darker overall and have blurrier streaks to the underparts (as do adult females). They can have indistinct wing bars but they are pale brown or deep buff, not as white and distinct as these. We get 2-3 of these each year on the Farallones.
To get into the weeds, these have an extra (auxiliary preformative, formerly presupplemental) molt that replaces the streaked juvenile plumage with a dull brownish -white plumage before the preformative molt brings in more adult-like coloration. This bird is mostly in this plumage but with some juvenile feathers and the browner feathers on the chest may be formative (this color also indicates LAZB over INBU). This molting situation is still rather poorly understood. Sex at this point is unknown."
