Date: 5/7/26 7:00 pm From: Richard Littauer <richard.littauer...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Winged-warblers - observing, documenting, and submitting to eBird
Hello all spring birders!
With the warblers returning, it's time for this little annual note on how to observe, document, and submit observations of the "winged-warblers": Blue-winged Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, and their hybrids.
It takes work to observe critical features when viewing and photographing (submit several photos per bird if possible) these birds. Understanding how to recognize a hybrid is critical. It helps to recognize females, which are often elusive. Audio recordings are very welcome. They, however, are of little help in differentiating the two species, since the songs can come from either species or a hybrid!
Note: in the categories where both species are mentioned, the article lists Blue-winged first. Current practice lists Golden-winged first. For example " Golden-winged/Blue-winged Warbler.
In the PDF are three tables that are very useful in highlighting critical features when observing, documenting, and eBird-IDing.*You can use the table to determine if a bird is a hybrid or pure species.*
There's one other thing worth mentioning, which proves difficult to some new eBirders every year. It's not explained well by the website, but in essence:
- Golden-winged/Blue-winged Warbler means that your bird could be a Golden-winged or a Blue-winged or a hybrid; - Golden-winged x Blue-winged Warbler means that your bird could only be a hybrid, and is not pure.
The difference between the x and the slash is important!
