Date: 11/2/26 11:13 am From: flyingcarlini via NEBirds <flyingcarlini...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] AOS updates feat. UNK Ornithology
Need to disagree with myself - scratch that statement about tail barring being consistent because Eastern example below from All About Birds shows an ample amount of visible barring even on the darker reddish tail:
Also scratch my earlier statement about nape and crown being browner on Westerns vs blacker on Easterns because a quick browse of Macaulay pics show widely varying degrees of black and brown on crown and nape of both species. Back to square one!-Shari & John On Monday, November 2, 2026 at 12:20:19 PM CST, flyingcarlini via NEBirds <flyingcarlini...> wrote:
Thanks to all for the feedback! We agree it's best to leave this silent marsh-wrem as Western/Eastern. It might be worth reiterating how much variability between individuals there is. While many pics of WEMWs do indeed have a more grayish tone on the underparts, there appears to be plenty of exceptions to Princeton's description of Western having a "dingier breast" because numerous Neb. pics of Westerns show a fairly white breast and also what maybe could be interpreted as streaky cheeks. Also, pasted below is an example of rich chestnut coloration in a WEMW's plumage in Bristish Columbia on the All About Birds site that's arguably the same reddish tint as the marsh-wren in our pic and some Easterns :
Perhaps the most consistent WEMW field mark we've seen so far is the amount of tail barring that Jacob and Tobin mentioned.-Shari & John, Lincoln
On Monday, November 2, 2026 at 09:12:13 AM CST, Jacob C. Cooper via NEBirds <cooperj2...> wrote:
I would concur with Tobin; the dark black on the flanks of the crown, the deep russet and chestnut tones to the flanks and tail, and the overall bright, colorful, and crisp appearance would all make me lean Eastern. That being said, I know the characters for separating these are still being actively discussed, so I could see a good argument for leaving this as “marsh-wren sp.” as well.
JC
------------------------------------------Jacob C. Cooper, PhD (he/him)Lab Website |Book a meeting Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska at KearneyBruner Hall of Sciences, Room 3212401 11th Avenue
Kearney, NE 68849-1130 Research Associate, Field Museum, ChicagoCitizen of the Cherokee Nation
From: Tobin Brown via NEBirds <tobinjbrown...>
Date: Monday, November 2, 2026 at 08:09
To: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...>
Subject: Re: [NEBirds] AOS updates feat. UNK Ornithology
| | Caution: Non-NU Email |
I've been looking at a lot of photos this past week, and I would still lean Eastern on this one. Birds of the World says:
"Eastern Marsh Wren is generally darker and more chestnut-colored than Western Marsh Wren, with a darker crown,less conspicuous tail barring, more reddish-brown on the flanks and underparts, and darker reddish-brown legs."
In your bird I am definitely seeing the deep reddish-brown on the flanks that doesn't often seem to be present in Western (which is more dusty brown), and the barring on the tail is quite faint (only showing on the outer edges). I think it would take a lighter drabber bird with more tail barring to consider Western in the Southeast part of the state.
Definitely a new "fun" ID challenge!
----Tobin BrownLincoln, NE
Field Reports Editor, The Nebraska Bird Review
eBird Reviewer, Nebraska
On Sat, Oct 31, 2026 at 12:45 PM flyingcarlini via NEBirds <flyingcarlini...> wrote:
Thank you Peggy and Jacob for the lifer! And thank you Thane for posting this important info! We had a migrant marsh-wren here in Lancaster Co a couple days ago that we had assumed was Eastern but after uploading the few pics obtained, started leaning Western instead based on Sibley's examples and also All About Birds' photos of both species which varied A LOT between more and less reddish individuals. Any opinions on our bird and/or advice on how to safely differentiate Eastern and Western would be greatly appreciated! Photo examples seemed consistent on these points (to our amateur eyes so may or may not be accurate): • solid brown crown and solid brown strip across nape in Western/black peppered into crown and center of nape in Eastern• richer reddish scapulars contrasting with lighter colored secondaries on Western folded wing/equally reddish color on scapulars extending into secondaries on Eastern folded wing Are we headed down the right path? Can we hang our hat on any of these points, or are we doomed to report Western/Eastern for non-singing birds? Below is the link to our checklist and attached photo:https://ebird.org/checklist/S406656056 -Shari Schwartz & John Carlini, Lincoln
