Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica), Fool Hollow Lake State Park, Navajo County

This Yellow-throated Warbler was discovered and photographed by Mark Sharon on 11 June 2010.

This appears to be a first county record and only the third record for Northern Arizona.

Statewide, Yellow-throated Warbler is a casual transient in Arizona with about 20 previous records.  From 2000-2008  there had only been a couple of records but this is the fifth documented report since November 2008, so perhaps this species is increasing in the state?  In its breeding range, Yellow-throated Warbler is a very early migrant, one of the first breeding warblers to arrive.  However, about a quarter of the Arizona records are from June or July.

Note the yellow throat, black auriculars with white spot behind them and the white eyeline. This bird is of the western D. d. albilora race. This race has a white or pale yellow supraloral stripe (the part of the white eyebrow near the bill) whereas the other races of D. dominica have bright yellow supraloral stripes.

11 June 2010, photo by Mark Sharon

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