<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; color: #333333;">
<span><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Clarice wrote: <br></span></span></span>
<hr><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">"I haven’t seen any discussion of the assumption of the bluetail (here in Washington) that it is a female.<br>"It is not just as likely that it is an immature male? Possible explanation for why it appears to be trying to sing.<br>"Anyone know the molt cycle on this bird.?"<br></span>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; color: #333333;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; color: #333333;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Clarice - I have little experience with the molt of this species, but did check the few references I had. Both Jonsson's "Birds of Europe" and the Collins "Bird Guide" note only a similarity of immature males and females: "1st summer male and female alike in coloration...".<br></span>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; color: #333333;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif; color: #333333;">
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Likewise, Mark Brazil's "Birds of East Asia" notes that "Immature male (also defends territory) much like female, but has brighter orange flanks, bluer tail and often some blue in wings."<br></span>
</div>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;" class="default-style">
<br>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
M<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">y old 1984 copy of Svensson's "Identification Guide to European Passerines" was the 'Ringer's Guide' there for many years. For the Bluetail (B</span></span>låstjärt) he notes:
<br>
<div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
Moult: - Adult: "SC [Complete summer moult] (or WC? [winter complete]). Young: sp [partial summer moult] (or wp? [partial winter moult]) Post-nuptial moult starts late, and it is not clear whether it takes place before or after autumn migration. Birds in mid-Aug. still have not started, being very worn. An adult male in Korea, 19.x. [19th October], is fresh and moulted."
<br>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
<br>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
ID - Spring: "2y male/females: Crown to back and lesser coverts greyish-olive."
<br>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
<br>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
So, there seems to be little on the ID of immature males vs. females as regards general plumage characteristics. However, looking at birders' photos of the outer rectrices on our Lake Forest Park bird, they appear to me to be rounded. This would indicate an adult bird.
<br>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
<br>
</div>
<div class="default-style" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;color:#333333;">
<div>
Peter Clement & Chris Rose (Robins and Chats. Helm Identification Guides. 2015) say that the distinguishing feature of an immature vs. an adult female Bluetail is the pointed, not rounded tips to tail feathers, similar to many of our new world passerines. <em>In</em> <a href="https://besgroup.org/2019/11/08/red-flanked-bluetail-what-is-an-adult/">https://besgroup.org/2019/11/08/red-flanked-bluetail-what-is-an-adult/</a>
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="default-style">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="default-style">
So, my thought is that, even though second-year (hatched last year) males might look very similar to females, 'our' Bluetail is an adult. An adult male would have significantly more blue, and an immature male would also have the pointed outer rectrices.
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="default-style">
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="default-style">
Jon's 2ȼ
<div>
Jon. Anderson
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="default-style">
OlyWA
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="default-style">
festuca at comcast dot net
<br>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="default-style">
https://jonsperegrination.blogspot.com/
</div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>