Sierran Elaenia

Boldly marked nightjar; streaked brown, gray, and buff above and barred brown below with a prominent rufous neck patch. Males have spectacular scissor-shaped tail extensions, dark on the outside, pale on the inside. Tail of females is short with no white. Fairly common in grasslands with scattered bushes and at forest edges.

Robust warbler found near the ground in thick vegetation. Yellow below with blue-gray head and olive back. Adult males show black chest patch. Females are paler gray on the head; immatures are more olive-toned with a yellowish throat. Breeds in brushy, weedy clearings within mixed or coniferous forest. Often favors raspberry thickets. Tends to stay hidden in low vegetation, so can be difficult to see. Listen for its rolling song, “churry churry churry chew.” Most similar to MacGillivray’s Warbler, but little range overlap, and Mourning has somewhat shorter tail and lacks bold white eye-arcs. Also frequently confused with Common Yellowthroat, especially in fall, but Mourning is larger, with heftier pinkish bill, and brighter yellow underparts.

Rather nondescript vireo with a blank face. Pale grayish-olive overall with a faint white eyebrow, darker grayish crown, and pale yellowish wash on the sides. Often confused with Philadelphia Vireo; note Warbling shows brightest color on sides (not throat) and fainter dark eyeline (especially indistinct in front of the eye). Warbling is also longer-tailed and has a slightly longer, thinner bill than Philadelphia. Scratchy warbling song is heard from treetops, particularly in riparian areas and cottonwoods. Migrants and wintering birds can be found in any wooded habitat, as far south as Central America.