Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Magnolia Warbler
Scientific name:	Setophaga Magnolia
Date:	10/13/2025
Time:	9:30 am
Length of time observed:	3-5 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	Unknown
Sex:	Female/Immature
Location:	Antelope Island State Park - Garr Ranch
County:	Davis
Latilong:	Unknown
Elevation:	4,350
Distance to bird:	It was approximately 15 to 30 feet away for most of the observation, but came as close as 5 feet for 5-10 seconds.
Optical equipment:	Vortex Diamondback 8X42 Binoculars
Weather:	Sunny & Clear
Light Conditions:	Shaded forest with filtered sunlight.
Description: Size of bird:	Small, Warbler-size
(Description:) Basic Shape:	Small and round
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	Gray above and yellow underneath
(Description:) Bill Type:	Small and slender
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	The small songbird had a gray head and back with a hint of yellow on the back. Its gray wings had clearly defined white wingbars. It had a full white eye-ring. Underneath it was almost all yellow (throat, breast, and chest) apart from the white undertail coverts and noticeable washed-out streaks on the flanks. I had no prior knowledge to how rare this bird was, but I had never seen a songbird with this combination of field marks in my decade of birding. Directly after the observation, I looked up on ebird to see if one had been reported at this location, and it had last been sighted on October 22, 2014 by Nate Brown along with a photo that matched my observation exactly.
Song or call & method of delivery:	I did not hear it call or sing.
Behavior:	It bounced around the bushes close to the ground and in one instance I observed it with an insect in its mouth. Most of the time it was at eye-level or below.
Habitat:	I was in the South end of the forested area of the ranch, which had thick undergrowth beneath tall coniferous trees and fallen leaves on the ground. On the other end of the forest there is a small marshy area.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	The Virginia Warbler has a similar eye-ring, but no white wingbars and the yellow underneath is significantly more restricted. The yellow-rumped warbler has eye arcs, but not the full eye-rings and yellow is restricted to sides, throat, and rump. I did observe some yellow-rumped warblers in the same outing and the yellow that did remain was very faded compared with the brighter yellow of the reported bird. Nashville Warblers have a similar eye-ring and yellow underneath, but lack the streaks on the sides and are more yellow-olive on the back and wings. Canada, Prairie, and Kirtland's Warblers all lack the clear, distinct wingbars this bird had. While a Cassin's Vireo is gray above with clear, white wingbars, it's yellow underneath is restricted mostly to the sides and is a more washed out yellow. It's eyering is also much bolder and forms and has white continuing toward the bill in more of a "spectacled" look. It also has a noticeably thicker, darker bill than the bird I saw.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	I have never seen this species before. I have had frequent experience with the yellow-rumped warbler, only one prior experience with a Virginia warbler several years ago, and two prior experiences just this year with a Nashville warbler. The Nashville warbler was seen just a month or so ago, so it was fresh on my mind and eliminated quickly because of the reasons stated above. Although I have never reported a Cassin's Vireo, I'm fairly certain I saw one earlier this summer, but I didn't report it because I didn't get a good enough look. So I had prior knowledge and familiarity of its existence. Until I referenced them today using Allaboutbirds.org, I had no familiarity with a Canada, Prairie, or Kirtland's Warbler.
References consulted:	About half-way through the observation, I consulted the Merlin bird ID app for any birds of that size that were primarily gray and yellow, and none of the birds matched. I continued observing, and afterwards searched Allaboutbirds.org to view similar species. That's where I viewed the Canada, Prairie, and Kirtland's for the first time.
Description from:	Notes made later
Observer:	Lance Newman
Observer's address:	94 s 1125 w
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	None
Date prepared:	10/13/2025
Additional material:
Additional comments:	While I marked "Notes made later" I want to clarify that I made the notes at the location of the sighting directly after the observation in the form of a text to my acquantance and birding expert Mike Hearell. Because I don't normally take photos, my practice is to deeply observe every possible detail I can on an unknown bird before I consult my birding ID.