Hermit or Hybrid?

I photographed this Warbler this morning and I am having a tough time with the ID. It appears to be a 1st winter Hermit Warbler, but I am thinking it could be a Hermit X Townsend Hybrid because of the slight streaking on the flanks. In either case this is an extremely rare sighting in Illinois.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

Matt, I believe this is a Black-throated Green Warbler juvenile. There appears to be a touch of yellow across the vent as indicated for the BTNW juvenile would have in Sibley's Guide to Birds, the Townsend's has more yellow on the chest, the Hermit a soft yellow wash on the sides of the chest with very little streaking.

I could be wrong though, I am stronger at ID'ing shorebirds.

Hi Lia,

You may be right, that was my first thought when referencing Sibley's but I did not think the auriculars were as defined as they should be. I have seen them in the past, but I am not sure that I have ever seen a 1st winter bird. It would certainly be more common to see a Black-throated Green Warbler migrating through Illinois. Thanks for the help.

I would say Lia nailed this one. IMO it is def a black-throated green warbler. I used to see them when I lived in Wisconsin. Nice shot by the way.

I agree on Black-throated Green Warbler.

See Dunn/Garrett Warblers for detailed comparison with Townsend's x Hermit hybrid.

Thanks for the help Lia, Ron and Richard. I sure missed the bit of yellow across the vent. Richard, I just ordered the book that you referenced, it looks like a great resource for warblers.