June 21, 2020

Location: Fellsmere, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

I am a juvenile Common Yellowthroat,

I don't look like my mom, I've no yellow on my chest

Nor do I have a black mask like my dad

I'm too young to determine my sex.

Note: David identified this bird as a juvenile Common Yellowthroat based on the bird's shape. Following the ID, we had a long discussion about the difference between immature versus juvenile. The short of it is that all non-adult birds are immature; juvenile birds are a subset of immature birds that are still in their first post-down plumage (as this bird is.) Click the link below for an interesting article from 1946 which describes in detail the names of age groups of young birds.

Sources: Cornell Lab All About Birds - Common Yellowthroat

Names of Age Groups of Young Birds, Harold B. Wood, 1946 

Photo and text © 2020 Dee Fairbanks Simpson