diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java
index 81ec24ce..cdfda1d0 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/JavacCompiler.java
@@ -956,11 +956,14 @@ static CompilerMessage parseModernError(int exitCode, String error) {
             final StringBuilder msgBuffer = new StringBuilder();
             String msg = tokens.nextToken(EOL).substring(2);
 
-            // Remove the 'warning: ' prefix
-            final String warnPrefix = getWarningPrefix(msg);
-            if (warnPrefix != null) {
+            // Remove "error: " and "warning: " prefixes
+            String prefix;
+            if ((prefix = getErrorPrefix(msg)) != null) {
+                messageKind = ERROR;
+                msg = msg.substring(prefix.length());
+            } else if ((prefix = getWarningPrefix(msg)) != null) {
                 messageKind = WARNING;
-                msg = msg.substring(warnPrefix.length());
+                msg = msg.substring(prefix.length());
             }
             msgBuffer.append(msg).append(EOL);
 
@@ -999,15 +1002,23 @@ static CompilerMessage parseModernError(int exitCode, String error) {
         }
     }
 
-    private static String getWarningPrefix(String msg) {
-        for (String warningPrefix : WARNING_PREFIXES) {
-            if (msg.startsWith(warningPrefix)) {
-                return warningPrefix;
+    private static String getMessagePrefix(String message, String[] prefixes) {
+        for (String prefix : prefixes) {
+            if (message.startsWith(prefix)) {
+                return prefix;
             }
         }
         return null;
     }
 
+    private static String getWarningPrefix(String message) {
+        return getMessagePrefix(message, WARNING_PREFIXES);
+    }
+
+    private static String getErrorPrefix(String message) {
+        return getMessagePrefix(message, ERROR_PREFIXES);
+    }
+
     /**
      * put args into a temp file to be referenced using the @ option in javac command line
      *
diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/ErrorMessageParserTest.java b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/ErrorMessageParserTest.java
index 8ac5ddff..ad707f4e 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/ErrorMessageParserTest.java
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-javac/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/javac/ErrorMessageParserTest.java
@@ -753,8 +753,7 @@ public void testJava7Error() throws Exception {
 
         assertThat(
                 message1.getMessage(),
-                is("error: cannot find symbol" + EOL + "  symbol:   class Properties" + EOL
-                        + "  location: class Error"));
+                is("cannot find symbol" + EOL + "  symbol:   class Properties" + EOL + "  location: class Error"));
 
         assertThat(message1.getStartColumn(), is(16));
 
@@ -770,8 +769,7 @@ public void testJava7Error() throws Exception {
 
         assertThat(
                 message2.getMessage(),
-                is("error: cannot find symbol" + EOL + "  symbol:   class Properties" + EOL
-                        + "  location: class Error"));
+                is("cannot find symbol" + EOL + "  symbol:   class Properties" + EOL + "  location: class Error"));
 
         assertThat(message2.getStartColumn(), is(35));
 
@@ -1259,7 +1257,7 @@ public void testWarningFollowedByBadSourceFileError() throws Exception {
     private void validateBadSourceFile(CompilerMessage message) {
         assertThat("Is an Error", message.getKind(), is(CompilerMessage.Kind.ERROR));
         assertThat("On Correct File", message.getFile(), is("/MTOOLCHAINS-19/src/main/java/ch/pecunifex/x/Cls1.java"));
-        assertThat("Message starts with access Error", message.getMessage(), startsWith("error: cannot access Cls2"));
+        assertThat("Message starts with access Error", message.getMessage(), startsWith("cannot access Cls2"));
     }
 
     private static void assertEquivalent(CompilerMessage expected, CompilerMessage actual) {