Abstract
New specimens from Sinaloa, Mexico, as well as two older specimens, show that both adult and recently fl edged Lucy's Warblers (Vermivora luciae) oft en move far south of their breeding grounds to molt in the tropical deciduous forests of northwestern Mexico. Remarkably, the fi rst preformative (= fi rst prebasic) molt is complete in Lucy's Warblers, including the replacement of fl ight feathers, primary coverts, and rectrices; thus, previous aging criteria based on the wear and appear- ance of these feathers are invalid. We suggest that the recent conclusion that Lucy's Warblers molt on their breeding grounds (Voelker and McFarland 2002) is an artifact of more collecting in the southwestern United States than in western Mexico during late summer. An index of relative collecting in Mexico and the United States, as well as data from constant-eff ort mist nett ing, suggest that most Lucy's Warblers move south to molt. Received 11 November 2005, accepted 22 June 2006.
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