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St. Lucia Warbler
Setophaga delicata
Endemic to St. Lucia, where it occurs at all elevations in all or most native wooded habitats.
Identification
Distinctive within its range: gray above, yellow below, with white wingbars and a yellow forehead and markings above and below the eye.
Very similar to Adelaide’s and Barbuda Warblers, with which it was long considered conspecific.
St. Lucia Warbler. (Mamiku Gardens, Praslin, St. Lucia; February 9, 2019.) © David J. Southall
St. Lucia Warbler, frontal view showing yellow forehead. (Soufrière, St. Lucia; March 6, 2018.) © Brian Sullivan
St. Lucia Warbler. (Gros Islet, St. Lucia; November 2, 2018.) © Roger L. Horn
St. Lucia Warbler. (Soufrière, St. Lucia; January 15, 2019.) © Ronald Breteler
St. Lucia Warbler. (Quilesse Forest Reserve, Micoud, St. Lucia; December 22, 2016.) © Knut Hansen
St. Lucia Warbler, singing, showing indistinct streaks on the side. (Rodney’s Bay, St. Lucia; February 27, 2019.) © Robert Curry
St. Lucia Warbler, frontal view showing yellow forehead. (Soufrière, St. Lucia; March 6, 2018.) © Brian Sullivan
St. Lucia Warbler. (Rodney’s Bay, St. Lucia; April 1, 2018.) © Colin Jones
St. Lucia Warbler. (Soufrière, St. Lucia; February 9, 2019.) © Rick Folkening
St. Lucia Warbler, on a chain-link fence. (Gros Islet, St. Lucia; December 31, 2018.) © Tom Younkin
St. Lucia Warbler. (Vieux Fort, St. Lucia; February 13, 2018.) © Stu Elsom
St. Lucia Warbler, showing faint wingbars. (Tobacco Hill, Soufrière, St. Lucia; February 21, 2014.) © Stephen Gast
St. Lucia Warbler. (Grand Anse, St. Lucia; February 15, 2016.) © Ryan Doherty
St. Lucia Warbler. (Grand Anse, St. Lucia; February 15, 2016.) © Ryan Doherty
St. Lucia Warbler, frontal view showing yellow forehead. (Fregate Island Reserve, St. Lucia; October 29, 2018.) © Roger L. Horn
Cf. Adelaide’s Warbler. St. Lucia and Adelaide’s Warblers are non-migratory species that occupy small, widely separated ranges, and are thus unlikely to overlap, but both have been known to island-hop. St. Lucia Warbler is a more vivid version of Adelaide’s. St. Lucia has essentially the same pattern, but with brighter colors and stronger contrasts. In particular, St. Lucia has more yellow in the face, set off by more extensive black markings. Under the eye, where Adelaide’s usually has a thin white crescent, St. Lucia has a wide yellow crescent. St. Lucia’s song is much slower and more varied than Adelaide’s’ trill.
Cf. Barbuda Warbler. St. Lucia and Barbuda Warblers are non-migratory species that occupy small, widely separated ranges, and are thus unlikely to overlap. St. Lucia Warbler is a more vivid version of Barbuda. St. Lucia has essentially the same pattern, but with brighter colors and stronger contrasts, with black markings on its face.
Cf. Prairie Warbler. In its most typical plumages, Prairie Warbler has much more extensive yellow in its face than St. Lucia, but immature male Prairies have gray cheeks. All plumages of St. Luciadiffer in having gray upperparts, white wingbars, and unstreaked sides.
Notes
Monotypic species. Formerly considered conspecific with Adelaide’s and Barbuda Warblers, collectively Adelaide’s Warbler (S. adelaidae).
References
Curson, J., D. Quinn, and D. Beadle. 1994. Warblers of the Americas: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
Curson, J. 2019. St Lucia Warbler (Setophaga delicata). In Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, eds.). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. https://www.hbw.com/node/61482. (Accessed November 14, 2019.)
eBird. 2019. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed November 14, 2019.)
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Toms, J.D. 2010. St. Lucia Warbler (Setophaga delicata), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T.S. Schulenberg, ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.stlwar.01.