Every month we sweep clean our main 10,000 Birds Clinic page and compile the questions and answers into a handy, bite-sized “round-up”.

Please feel free to add additional comments to the published answers - we’re all on the same learning curve round here - and if you’ve a question you’d like to put to the team please go to the Clinic Page.

Unidentified feeder birds - from Carol, east Texas

Hi. I live in the piney woods of east texas, and i have a pair of small green birds that i was told were blue buntings. The pictures I have seen are not of these birds.
They are smaller than a sparrow, but not much, and are the most lovely geen, dark shiney green. They came last year and stayed a few days, so i thought they were just migrating…now they seem content to stay awhile. I have searched the net and everywhere, but can not find a picture of them so I can find out what they are. I am in hopes that you will be able to tell me what i am feeding.
Also, yesterday a bird appeared that i have never seen before in my life, small, with a white chest and the most lovely light blue head…it sat on my fence but i was not able to get my camera before it flew away.
I am in hopes that you have the information to help me. thank you for your time.

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Carol

  You’ve certainly got the team scratching their collective heads with these questions!

  We think that the most likely identification for your “dark shiny green” birds are female Painted Buntings (perhaps this is what the person who offered you “Blue Buntings” meant?). Males are a riot of colour, but females are indeed a shade of green - and in fact look almost like different species. Painted Buntings do regularly visit feeders also (incidentally what do you provide at your feeders - eg suet, seeds, nuts - as this may help us narrow down the birds involved).

  The second bird is a lot more tricky. The consensus of opinion is that you probably saw a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - a migrant that should be passing through right now. We did briefly consider other warbler species - in fact there are very few small birds in North America with blue heads and white underparts - but a Gnatcatcher seems most likely. They do have long tails (especially in proportion to their slender bodies) but on a brief view you may not have noticed that.

  
  
  Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Chicago 2008. Photo copyright Charlie Moores
  

  We’d be very interested to hear from you if you think we’re on the right track with these suggestions - and, in the meantime, if any of our readers think they have a better answer please use the comment fields below and let us and Carol know what you think…

Sparrows facing eviction - from Ambra, New York

Hi guys. I live on Long Island, in a town that is quite built up. For many years, house sparrows have been inhabiting a nest they built under the eves of the house next door to mine. Last week I noticed a blackbird going into the nest and taking it apart -throwing the nesting material out of the nest. The poor sparrows have been going crazy! When they try to get to their nest, the black bird (sometimes there are two - I think males ’cause they’re black) are very aggressive and go after them. I started running out of my house, waving a dust mop at the blackbird/s (I’m sure my neighbors must think I went nuts!). This has been going on for 4 days. I watch the nest from my dining area window, and when I see the blackbird approaching, I run out and try to scare it away. It’s been quite useless! I feel really bad for the little birds, I don’t want them to leave and have the blackbirds move in. Is there anything I can do? I’ve thought about putting a birdhouse under the eves of my house, so the little birds would have another place to build their nest. Do you have any suggestions?

 

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Ambra

  Thanks for the question.
  It’s always upsetting to see birds being unceremoniously booted out of their homes. I’m wondering whether your ‘blackbirds’ are actually European Starlings - birds which like the Sparrows were introduced from Europe by early settlers. If they are then I’m afraid this is typical behaviour: Starlings have been aggressively usurping nesting holes/cavities for millenia and will no doubt continue to do so long into the future. Personally I would provide another nest for the sparrows, and perhaps protect it by hanging weighted strings/cords a few inches in front of it so that they hang down in front of the entrance hole. This is an old trick from the UK, and works (usually) because sparrows are more agile fliers than starlings or similar-sized birds and can fly up to the hole (avoiding the strings) while Starlings approach more head-on and are put off by them.

  If this is too difficult to do, perhaps our visitors can make alternative suggestions?

What happens to eggshells? - from Joey

I am watching a nest of three baby Mockingbirds who were hatched within the last 24 hours.

My question is: Where does the shell material go? I see nothing in the nest and nothing on the ground.

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Joey
  Thanks for your interesting question.
  You’re not seeing the shells because most birds remove them from the vicinity of the nest and dump them elsewhere as soon as they get the chance. The theory is that even though many eggshells are camouflaged with splotches etc on the outside, because the inner linings are bright white they’d be easily spotted by predators who would then come looking for the youngsters. Getting rid of the shells means the parents are away and not protecting the newborns, but the advantages of keeping the nest ’secret’ evidently outweighs the risks.
  Additionally in calcium-poor areas some birds will actually eat the shells to gain extra minerals - another good way of disposing of the shells also of course. I don’t know if Mockingbirds do this, but perhaps our readers do?

Have I just seen a Partridge? - from lw

i just saw a couple of birds the male of which has a dangly thing on top of it’s head. i thought it was a partridge and looked up how a partridge looks like, but it didn’t have that thing on top. the birds are the size of a pigeon. the female is shades of gray but the male is has more vivid colors. they both zoomed around pretty fast.

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Lw

  You’re close with ‘partridge’ but the bird you’re looking for is one of the Quails - most probably California Quail which fits your description well (the closely related Gambel’s Quail is also a possibility, but it tends to give a browner, less colourful impression than California Quail). I’m guessing that you live in California where both these birds are found by the way - if not perhaps I need to think again!

  I’d be grateful if you could let me know whether this answer is correct…

Websites for birding trip to Peru? - from Brian

I’m headed to Madre de Dio province in SE Peru in October. Do you know of any websites to help practice identification of antbirds, furnarids flycatchers etc. from South America?

Thanks

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Brian,

  SE Peru eh - never been, but high on my wish-list!

  In the past I’ve found surprisingly few websites with good photos of South American birds, but the two I’ve always used for checking/preparing for Brazil trips are Arthur Grosset’s ever-expanding http://www.arthurgrosset.com, and the photo galleries at the Mangoverde World Bird Guide at http://www.mangoverde.com/birdsound/index.html

  Arthur’s site is a staggeringly large collection of his own photos plus useful field-notes, while Bill Hull’s Mangoverde is a compilation of photos that contributors send in. Both though usually show multiple images of each species, and usually of the sort of field views that most birders will get on trips.

  I’m sure there will be other useful websites, but these are the two I use: if anyone knows of any others please let us know.

Please ID raptor on YouTube video? - from Liz

Hello, we had a raptor land right beside my daughter and myself in our yard. We live in the country with many starlings. This fellow had a starling in his feet squawking away. I got the video camera and got some really good footage. But am having a hard time finding out what kind of raptor this is. Here is the link to the video I uploaded to youtube. This was in March 08, Southwestern Virginia.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dS6JF8odz8A

Thanks!

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Liz,

  Thanks so much for sharing your excellent video with us - I love the questions your daughter is asking in the background (I wish my daughter was as interested in birds). Your hawk is a Sharp-shinned Hawk, North America’s smallest accipiter (the bill of the Starling looks huge in comparison to the hawk’s own tiny bill doesn’t it?). I’ve a feeling that many birders will applaud your individual for preying on a Starling, by the way, a species introduced from Europe that many people would like to see removed from the North American bird scene altogether!

ID two Brazilian birds? - from Jeanie

Could you please help ID two birds I saw today. Photos are on my blog at jkjuk@blogspot.com.
The bird that was flying over the smaller bird was huge!! I think it is the one I have seen recently, hopefully it may settle long enough for me to take a decent picture.

The big bird flew in ever decreasing circles high up and the one on the roof was obviously aware of it, and stood stock still. It was so interesting.

Any advise gratefully received!

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Jeanie

  Good to hear from you.

  The smaller, whitish bird is a Pearl Kite Gampsonyx swainsonii, a small raptor which I don’t think I’ve actually seen myself!

  The larger one is either a Turkey Vulture, a common scavenger in both South and North America, or a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. I boosted the levels in the photo a great deal to make out the plumage features, but can’t be sure which. If you see them again it’d be worth checking something to make sure: 1) is there a white patch on the UPPERwings near the end of the wing? If so it’s a Lesser Yellow-headed, if NOT it’s a Turkey. I know that’s hard to make out on a bird which flies so high, but worth a look if you can…

 

• Follow-up from Jeanie

  Charlie, this is so bizarre!

  It is a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture - how can I be sure? Amazingly enough one circled over the garden just after 2:30! - it was HUGE - Don’t normally see them so low and they would never be able to land in the garden between the trees, shrubs etc., It circled v. low in an enormous circle, I was in the classroom with a student - we both stood and watched it - right next door is a field which would have given it plenty of space to land. It dropped out of site, I would have dashed out if I had not been so busy - work does get in the way doesn’t it.

  It had very distinctive ‘bars’ of white on top of its wings - no fishermans tale it was a good 3.5 metres across. No camera - I must remember to take it into the class with me - imagine me scrambling across the desk when I see something - can you imagine the students faces!

  Thanks again for your help

  Jeanie

ID Papago Park bird - from Mike, Arizona

Could you held ID this bird? The picture was taken at Papago Park, Phoenix AZ on February 16, 2008.

Thanks

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Mike,
  Great picture! What you’ve got here is a female Great-tailed Grackle: the buffy-white ‘eyebrow’, pale eye, and contrasting underparts are the ID clinchers. Males are much darker, but have the same shape overall though their tails are broader and longer ie “greater” (it’s always worth checking which other birds a female-type individual is hanging around with, incidentally - your first identification clue is often the more easily identified males). The species itself is a relatively recent arrival to the southern US from the tropics but is expanding rapidly.

Book on Yellow-billed Magpie? - from John

Could you possibly recommend a book which comprehensively covers the behavior and habits of the Yellow-Billed Magpie?

• A: from Charlie

  Hi John
  I’m sorry but I don’t know of one at all (and can’t find anything on Google that fits the bill). I’m going to open this up and see if anyone can help. Any ideas please folks?
  Charlie.

   

• A: from Jochen

  Hi John,
  Quite possibly, no comprehensive book has been published on the Yellow-billed Magpie yet and all our knowledge can only be found widely dispersed in scientific articles covering certain aspects of its biology. I googled around a bit and found a specific site about the Yellow-billed Magpie that might help you:

  http://www.magpiemonitor.org/

  It doesn’t offer a huge pile of information about behaviour and habits, but possibly you can contact those who run the site and they might be able to help you out.

  Good luck! And let us know about the outcome.

ID of seed-eating bird? - from Cathy, Texas

I am in southeast texas and have seen a bird I can not identify. Just started getting interested in identifing birds. This is a seed eating bird close to a cardinal in size. Black cap, red to red-orange throat, light belly and black/white speckled back. Any suggestions?

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Cathy,
  Thanks for getting in touch.
  Your description (almost) fits Spotted Towhee - which is Cardinal-sized, has an all-black head (rather than just a black cap), orangey-red flanks (rather than an orange throat), a white belly, and a speckled “spotted” back. It’s a common enough species but can be quite secretive, usually feeding on the ground and keeping close to dense vegetation. I’ve posted a photo of one I took in Seattle: does this look like your bird?

  

Bird coming to feeder Valparaiso, Indiana backyard - from Pam,Indiana

I would like to know what kind of bird is in my Valparaiso, Indiana backyard. it is a beautiful bright orange with greenish yellow wings and is feeding at both my oriole feeder and woodpecker suet feeder. I cannot find his picture in any books or online. very beautiful I have a picture but it is blurry but you can see the colors.

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Pam
  It sounds like you may have a first summer tanager (or perhaps an oriole). Please let us have the photo - blurry or not it’ll give us a better chance to help you. Send it to charlie10000birds - AT - gmail.com - Thanks!

   

• Re: Bird coming to feeder Valparaiso, Indiana backyard

  Here are the best photos I could get…he likes the oriole feeder and the woodpecker suet. at first I thought it was an orchard or baltimore oriole but the colorings are so different than in the book he is definitely a brilliant yellow/orange with greenish wings .. hope you can tell from the bad pictures the coloring just doesn’t show up and he is very blurry when I try to enlarge. thanks for any help you can give. Pam.

  
  
  Photo by Pam. Image photoshopped with permission
  

   

• Follow-up comments re “Orange feeder bird” from Mike, Charlie, and Pam

  Mike: I’m glad you included these images, Pam. It looks to me like you have a textbook first spring male Summer Tanager. Charlie, do you concur?

  Charlie: Absolutely Mike. Incidentally, Pam, what a fantastic looking habitat to have feeders set up in. You must get loads of birds!

  Pam: I thought the tanager was red and black ? I will try to get a better picture of it but it is skittish…

  Mike: You’re thinking of the Scarlet Tanager, a more common bird. The Summer Tanager male is all red but the first spring male is very splotchy. I think they’re both gorgeous!

Is this a House Sparrow? - from Mike, Arizona

Is this a House Sparrow? It has the black bill but wings and back doesn’t seem to match. The picture was taken at Papago Park, Phoenix AZ, February 16, 2008.

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Mike

  It is indeed a male House Sparrow. When you say “it has the black bill but wings and back doesn’t seem to match” I’ve a feeling you’re making the classic birding mistake (which I’ve made many times in the past!) of trying to match an individual bird with the generalised representation found in eg a field-guide. It’s always worth remembering that a bird’s plumage can look different at different times of year: sometimes they can look very fresh and bright (eg the bird has just moulted), and sometimes they can look very worn and dull (the bird has old feathers which will be replaced sometime soon). Field guides tend to illustrate a “picture perfect” plumage - a book full of paintings of tatty, grotty birds may be closer to life in many cases but it won’t sell as well as beautifully-executed pristine birds. When you try to identify a bird, you need to concentrate on collecting a full suite of features/characteristics rather than concentrate on the one thing that doesn’t quite fit: eg in this case the bird is in a park, is the size of a finch, has a black stubby bill, mostly unmarked underparts, and mainly buffy-brown upperparts. These all fit a House Sparrow: the apparent plumage anomaly then becomes just that - an anomaly that in this case can be explained by the fact that House Sparrows achieve breeding plumage by the wearing away of the grey tips of their head and body feathers during the winter: your bird, seen in February, is therefore somewhere in between having new, grey-tipped feathers and having the brighter, fresher-looking plumage it’ll take into spring.

Mystery bird, Louisiana - from Duane, Louisiana

Hope someone can help ID this mystery bird. The bird seem to have just come ashore from crossing the Gulf of Mexico at Peveto Woods (just west of Holly Beach, Louisiana). The bird was perched for only a short time and it was not seen again. The pictures are not the best due to poor lighting/sun. The bird seems to have a dark band through the eyes all the way around the back of the head. Also, has what seems like white dots (not wing bars) on its wings. It seems to have a bad light brown/gray toupee. It was about the size of a Northern Cardinal. Have shown the pictures to several birders from Louisiana and Texas with no possible identification. I have included 3 pictures [Charlie: 1 posted below] that shows the best information (have 3 more pictures if needed).

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Duane

  I took the liberty of boosting your image so that I could see the features properly - and in doing so resolved your mystery.

  
  
  

  What you have here is an immature White-crowned Sparrow moulting into a more mature plumage - hence the ’spotting’, which is actually caused by the normally solid white tips of the covert feathers wearing off unevenly (so instead of creating wing bars you get the spotted effect). The other features of the bird are correct for a non-adult White-crowned Sparrow: it has a reddish-orange bill, a crown-stripe, dark line behind the eye, is the right size etc.

  In a way your question is a little like Mike’s above re “Is this a House Sparrow?”. I think everyone I know, myself included, have focussed on the features that are “wrong” when looking at an odd bird (especially when we’re in a migration hotspot in spring!) rather than those that are “right” - if you ignore the “spotty” look and look at the bird again I think you’ll agree everything else fits.

  I have to say too that it doesn’t help too that many field-guides don’t explain that many birds at this time of the year are still in transition from juvenile to adult plumage, and that many have a “first summer” plumage which is often not illustrated.

Sanctuaries in Garret Mt Reservation - from Lorraine, New York

Are there any sanctuaries in Garret Mt Reservation? Also, is there a website I can refer to about birding tours there?

• A: from Mike

  Hi Lorraine, I haven’t heard of professional bird guides serving that part of New Jersey. We have many readers from New York so perhaps someone else may be able to suggest a contact for you. Alternatively, if you live near Garret Mountain or Rifle Camp Park you might want to contact your local Audubon chapter or bird club to see when they’re running organized trips to those locations.

Is this a Mourning Dove? - from Willis, Arizona

This little critter was photographed in Springdale, AR, yesterday. It’s been hanging out by my neighbors bird bath making REALLY pretty music. I think it’s a Mourning Dove, but I’m really a novice when it comes to birds. It has a second marking on it’s face that I don’t see on other photos, THAT’s what has me confused. It also seems stockier than other mourning dove photos that I’ve seen.

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Willis. You’re correct, it is indeed a Mourning Dove (and a very nice photo too). I can see what you mean about being confused by the face-markings, but the details of the plumage of many birds with restricted markings like this (which are often created by very small areas of colour in either just one or a very small number of feathers) are very variable. The bird may be worn (in which case colour gets worn away) or moulting (in which case the relevant coloured feather may be lost) or in very fresh (ie ‘newly grown’) plumage when every little colour, shade, and tone is present.

  When you identify a bird you need concentrate on the “whole” or “overall” look rather than focusing in on one detail that doesn’t look quite right. We’ve all done it, but the longer you bird the more you’ll learn to look at the complete picture and find that identifying birds gets gradually easier (at least that’s the theory, it’s still tough to make a correct call sometimes!)

Orange-coloured feeder bird? - from Mary, Washingtom

The orange bird Pam saw has visited our house as well.. it is a little larger than a Robin and has a very vivid well defined head cap of Orange that is so bright it is florescent especially next to the bright yellow/greenish body..The wings were also the yellow green .. the beak is not like a gross beak but more robin like and so are the feet.. not the wimpy ones of the Oriole or Tanger.. and it is bigger than either of them.. it sat on our Lilac tree about 3 feet away for about 10 min while I wished for a cammera.. it just looked at us an the flowers and tried to bite some of the more citris colored ones but as soon as I moved even slightly it took off .. we live in Vancouver, WA.. have no idea where Pam was but it has been here also.. My first thought was that it was an excaped pet?? the coloring is not “blotchey” but very tailored in detail and destinct… still looking for the name.. does this help to clairify? Mary

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Mary. Firstly, can I just assure you that the bird at Pam’s feeder WAS definitely a first-summer Summer Tanager! The photo and Pam’s follow-up makes us 100% certain…Secondly, there are literally tens of millions of birds migrating north through the US at the moment and the chances of the same bird turning west and flying several thousand miles to cross from Indiana into Washington and arriving at your feeder must be almost nil.

  Without seeing a photo I can’t say with certainty what your bird was: if you say it wasn’t a Summer Tanager then I’m not going to be disrespectful and argue with you as I simply don’t know. The bird you saw doesn’t sound quite right for a tanager - but its worth bearing in mind how different a bird looks when you see it closely or well compared with how you think it looks when you see it from a distance or poorly. If you manage to get a photo please send it in and we’ll take a look and be able to give you a more accurate answer!

Which banding agency? - from Judy, Houston

During a walk in my neighborhood (southwest of Houston, Texas), I found a dead bird (don’t know what type)with a band on it’s leg. I know different organizations use bands to track the migratory paths of different species. How do I identify and contact the correct agency? Thanks for your assistance.

• A: from Jochen

  Hi Judy,
  I’ll ask a friend of mine who is banding in Michigan, but in the meantime, here is a link where you can report your band online: http://www.reportband.gov

  You will usually receive a “life history” of your bird: where and when it was banded, if (and where) it was reported before (e.g. by other bird banders catching it) etc. In your case, you will also learn what species the bird you found belongs/belonged to.
  I once reported colour marked Canada Geese through that site and received such a life history for all the geese by email a few weeks later. It was great fun!
  If you do receive a report, it would be great if you would share it with us and let us know about “your” bird!

Help needed for sigle Canada Goose - from Lisa, Wilmington

Could you please tell me if there is anything that can be done to help a single Canada goose? Do they mate for life? If their mate dies, what do they do next? Thank you for your assistance.

• A: from Jochen

  Hi Lisa!
  That’s a nice question!
  Geese mate for life - usually - and when their mate dies they will often remain “single” for a year or so and then find a new flame.
  Regarding your lonesome Canada Goose, the thing for you to check is if it is healthy and can fly. If that’s the case, there is nothing you need to do to help it find a mate: it is likely to find one itself as soon as it leaves your area (e.g. next winter) and joins a large flock of conspecifics which is likely to contain other singles it can hang out with. If it is not able to fly and thus isolated from other geese, then you might want to contact a local rehabber and have them look after it.

Rogue Eagles? - from Toni, Pennsylvania

I live in Erie, PA and we had our first nesting Eagles in over 50 years at Presque Isle State Park. We were all excited and looking forward to the babies.
Then early this week a pair of rogue Eagles came onto the peninsula and attacked the nest.
We believe they destroyed the eggs and our nesting Eagles have left.
Does this happen often or is this strange behavior for other Eagles to go after another nest?

• A: from Charlie

  Most (if not all?) species of eagle are known to be very territorial during the nesting season and will definitely attempt to discourage rival pairs. As Bald Eagles (happily) increase in numbers again from the frightening lows of the 1960s these kinds of incidents are being reported more often. It’s very sad, and a little bewildering, from our human point of view, but it’s natural behaviour from theirs: pairs want prime nesting sites and will fight to get them. As Eagles move into new areas there will inevitably be some conflict while territories are established. Hopefully the dominant pair will mate and raise young, the less successful pair will still be able to find a less optimal site that they will nevertheless be able to use, and the populations of Bald Eagles in North America will continue to rise.

ID please - from Jeanie, south-east Brazil

Rushing this over - between classes, took these two beautiful birds across the road, think they are the Rufous Thrush, but not too certain. If you could let me know - or one of the panel at the clinic - many thanks!

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Jeanie. This looks to me like a Rufous Hornero and not a thrush: perhaps Hornero’s the name you were thinking of? If you see them again note that the bill is too slender and curved for a thrush, and the tail too short. Have a look at http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/rufous%20hornero.html and see what you think.

 

• Follow-up from Jeanie:

  Rufous Hornero - Thanks you have done it again! Yes for sure, saw them again very clearly. I will look for their distinctive nest [Charlie: the nests are built like a clay oven]. I expect you may already know this, but here in Brazil it is said, that if the female takes another mate, the jealous male will block the exit from the nest and seal her in!

More IDs please - from Jeanie, southeast Brazil

Hi Charlie - here’s a couple more for you to look at. Not sure what they are…

Bird #1

Bird #2

Bird #3

Bird #4

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Jeanie. Your garden really is busy these days! I’m going to do the best I can (of course), but I’m not entirely sure of the last two: Bird #1 is a Ruddy Ground Dove (a common species in Brazil and one I’d expect to see in gardens etc); #2 is a female House Sparrow (common everywhere, of course - you need to get onto recognising this one Jeanie!); #3 - I think is a Myiarchus flycatcher - and I would guess it’s Brown-crested Flycatcher as that’s the most likely, but I really need more experience (and I’m afraid a better photo) of your region to say with any certainty :); #4 is a tanager, I think Sayaca Tanager - but from that view I can’t see anything on the wings etc - you’ve recorded Sayaca before I think? Can you get more photos for me and send them in?

Hummingbird ID please - from Mike, Arizona

I found this little guy sitting on a white line in a parking lot today in Phoenix, he was sitting as you see him and breathing hard. He might have been over heated because the outside temperature was around 106 F. Any idea what he is?

• A: from Charlie

  I originally (and far too hurriedly) suggested that this hummer may be an adult female Broad-tailed - which on reflection it clearly wasn’t. Fortunately a 10,000 Birds reader provided a far more thoughtful and accurate response - my thanks to Jon for his courteous correction:

• From Jon, http://mrbubby.blogspot.com: I think that I respectfully disagree that the above hummingbird is a Broad-bill. I have a few reservations, the largest being that the Phoenix is outside the normal range of the species. The three expected breeding hummingbirds within that city are Costa’s, Anna’s, and Black-chinned.

  I also think that this is a juvenile hummer, not a female. The feathers’ brown tinge looks fresh to me, and the bill has that wide and short look that very young hummers show. It’s tough because the bird is in obvious distress. What messy feathers! The tail also looks unusually short for most species.

  I’m also not sure about the mandible color. That should be red on a Broad-billed, but we just can’t see that mark here, can we? We can see the bill’s lining (orange), but not the bill itself. I also don’t think the “eyebrow” is as pronounced or as long as a broad-billed would have, the tail isn’t as large, and I seem to remember female Broad-bills showing blue on the tail and a blue tinge (sometimes looks like flecks) to the back feathers (though Sibley doesn’t illustrate these features).

  So, I think we have an very recently fledged immature hummingbird with mussed up feathers - about as difficult an ID problem as you can face in our western hummingbirds. I wonder what kind of neighborhood the bird was found in. Is it in the very center of the city, or are there undeveloped desert areas around it? Anna’s is more common in city areas than either Black-chinned or Costa’s.

  Feature-wise, Sibley shows the least white on the Black-chinned’s face, so that doesn’t look likely to me. The bill seems pretty short to ever grow out to that length, too. Costa’s is really uncommon in urban areas because it’s dominated by Anna’s near feeders. I’d guess this is an Anna’s, but to me the short tail, lack of color on the gorget, and brown flecks actually suggest Costa’s. But I wouldn’t bet any money on it.

Mystery bird on Kauai, Hawaii - from Liz

Mystery bird on Hawaii

Can you help with an id on this bird?
I found it in a wooded area on the way to the beach on the northeast side of the island of Kauai, Hawaii while on vacation last week. A picture is attached. It was smaller than a robin, larger than a goldfinch. I couldn’t find it in any of the Hawaii field guides I brought with me.
Thanks a bunch!

• A: from Clare, http://kiggavik.typepad.com

  It may be a female White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus. I can’t lay my hands on my Kauai field guides right now (borrowed?) so I’m just working on memory. What kind of tail (length) did it have?

   

• Follow-up from Charlie:

  White-rumped Shama was introduced to Kauai in 1931 according to this link: www.honoluluzoo.org/white-rumped_shama.

  Congrats to Clare (naturally enough a guy http://kiggavik.typepad.com/the_house_other_arctic_mu/ who lives in the Arctic would know this bird), and thanks to everyone else who had a look. (Aren’t our friends in the blogosphere the BEST!)

• Follow-up from Clare:

  I spent a lot of time watching White-rumped Shamas in Kauai (they’ve yet to be introduced to the Arctic). They are pretty ubiquitous in Kauai. Pretty much any of the native passerines are restricted to the high elevations there.

• Follow-up from Liz:

  Thanks, all, for your help identifying the bird. I had seen a few white-rumped shamas, but the heads and backs were very dark / black. My books didn’t show a female.
  Thanks again — and this clinic is great! How else could I get this bird id’ed by a bunch of experts ?

Farmland bird ID? - from Ron & Jan, Iowa

This bird was running around in my yard yesterday, 5/23/08. I live on a farm 25 miles southeast of Des Moines, IA. I was able to follow the bird around my yard as it would just run, not fly. It finally ran into our newly planted corn field so I turned around to walk back in the house and noticed my cat was right behind me watching the bird. I think that is why it finally ran off. It was fine when I was just following it around. It was about the size of a small pheasant.

• A: from Charlie

  Great picture! You’ve just been visited by a Chukar - a species of partridge native to southern Europe and western parts of Asia. It’s a lovely bird, isn’t it? Chukars were first introduced into the US in 1893 as a game bird, and have more or else established themselves throughout hilly areas in the southwest. Populations are still regularly boosted by releases, so I don’t know whether your bird would be a recent release or part of a population that’s established in your area (maybe a 10,000 Birds reader in Iowa could let us know). In the ‘wild’ Chukars are very wary indeed (I’ve seen them in southern Europe) and a truly wild bird wouldn’t behave like this, so it may well be that someone close to your farm is raising Chukars and releasing them for hunting, and this one has come round looking for grain or somesuch.

Odd hooting sound - from Cynthia, Florida

I am trying to figure out what kind of bird is always hooting where I just moved (Skylake area in North Miami Beach). It sounds like Whoo hoo, and it is persistent, day and night. Thank you.

• A: from Stacy

  Since you say it is persistent day or night…Is it more of a whoo ooh, whoo, whoo, whoo? With a slight pause after each whoo? Like a mourning dove? Typically a Barred Owl or Great Horned Owl will not be so persistent (and I hear the owls more in the early evenings). Not sure if this helps, but thought I would offer up a possibility. Stacy.

 

• Follow-up: from Jochen

  Cynthia, I agree with Stacy: your bird sounds like it is either an owl (Great Horned or Barred) or a dove (most likely Mourning Dove). As it is singing day and night, it appears that a (Mourning) Dove is more likely as the owls can sometimes be heard during the day but not with any significant frequency, just sporadically. The best thing for you to do is to follow its call and see if you can spot the bird. Even a basic description of size and shape would help greatly in combination with the calls you described. What you might also want to do is check an online bird song “library”, like the one of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

  If you follow this link http://animalbehaviorarchive.org/loginPublic.do and type in Mourning Dove, Barred Owl and Great Horned Owl, you can check if our guesses have been correct or if we need to do some more thinking to help you identify your bird!
  Have fun and if you surf the sound library, let us know what the outcome is!

 

• Follow-up from Cynthia:

  Thank you Stacy and Jochen! I so appreciate your help. I believe it may be a Mourning Dove too, because this morning I really listened to the sound and it is more like Stacy’s description. Jochen - I did check out the Cornell website and the owls sounded a little different. I will try to follow the sound to see the bird. If I find it, I will let you know. Thanks again.

 

• Follow-up from Cynthia:

  Mystery solved! I walked out of my complex today and saw a Mourning Dove perched on a telephone line! I am so excited because I think it is “my bird”. Keep up the great work. I had no knowledge of birds and this is fascinating. Thanks everyone for all your help. This is an excellent resource.

 

• Follow-up from Stacy:

  Cynthia–Great job on getting the visual ID! Be warned, you have been bitten by the birding bug! It is addictive. Thanks for the update!

 

• Follow-up from Jochen:

  Cynthia, this is great!!
  Welcome to the wonderful world of birds and birding and I sincerely hope we’ll see more questions from you in the near future! Keep them coming!

Which pipit is this please? - from Ambika, Chennai, India

I remember Charlie had visited GNP in Madras, and had written about a pipit. Anyway, here’s the question, we saw a pipit on a trip, and I dont know which one it is…..
Would be greatly pleased if you could take a look -
http://madraswanderer.blogspot.com/2008/05/tree-pipit.html

Thanks in advance. Ambika

• A: from Jochen

  Hi Ambika!
  Wow, neat pictures.
  I am sorry this will be a bit of a short answer for now as today’s time is limited. I’ll answer in more detail on Monday unless Charlie - who now seems to be either serving coffee, birding or asleep - steps in in the meantime.
  Your bird looks very much like a Tree Pipit indeed, and Paddyfield and Richard’s Pipits can probably be ruled out by details of e.g. the head pattern and hind claw. Those details will be discussed on Monday.
  Have a nice weekend filled with birds until then!

 

• Follow-up: from Charlie

  Ambika - Apologies I thought I’d mailed an answer before I left for Cape Town (where I am now). It certainly looks like a Tree Pipit form your excellent photo (and definitely not Paddyfield, Richards, or Blyths). I don’t have any books with me to check on the range, as the only thing that surprises me is that a Tree Pipit should be so far south this late on - but I’m confident (along with Jochen) that this is what this bird is.

 

• Follow-up: from Ambika

  Thanks Jochen and Charlie for the super quick responses! I’ve posted your responses on my blog as well, so people can see.
  I forgot to mention, that we saw this bird on a trip in Maharashtra, at a place called Chikaldhara, at an altitude of about 1,000m. (Madras is where I live). Could you also educate me as to why you say its a tree pipit?

 

• Follow-up: from Charlie

  Hi again Ambika. Your photos are so good that all the critical ID pointers can be seen. If you would give me permission to use your photos I would really like to write a longer ID post on 10,000 Birds (I’d link back to you of course)than I can here, but the extent of the streaking on the rear flanks and the structure alone rules out the larger pipits like Richards, Blyths, and even the smaller Paddyfield (they have longer legs and longer bills for instance, and tend to stand more upright) and most importantly they have long/medium-long ‘flatter’ (ie less curved) claws on the hind toe: Tree Pipits (A. trivialis) and Olive-backed Pipits (A. hodgsoni) have the short, curved claw your bird shows.

  The only small pipit in southern India that shows a combination of heavy breast streaking against a buff background and such extensive and NARROW streaking on whitish rear flanks, coupled with a heavily streaked mantle is Tree (Olive-backed - as the name suggests - has a greenish-tinged mantle that is nowhere near as heavily streaked). The face pattern is reminiscent of Olive-backed, but Tree often shows the buffy front part of the supercilium (which I’ve never noticed on the larger pipits by the way): Olive-backeds almost invariably show a light and dark patch just behind the ear-coverts - even a worn Olive-backed would show it more than this bird - and a startlingly white rear supercilium (North American birders might understand the analogy when I say that when comparing supercilia a Tree Pipit is the Northern Waterthrush to the Olive-backed’s Louisiana).

  I’m posting a photo of an Olive-backed Pipit I took in Hong Kong a few years ago. It’s not the best image on the net, but it does show that at any angle an OBP has a far more distinctly marked face than a Tree and a more diffusely streaked mantle.

  
  
  

  Incidentally habitat is sometimes a clue to the ID of these pipits. If the bird you’ve found is out in the open it could, in theory, be any one of India’s pipits, but if it’s in a closed forest it will almost certainly NOT be a Richard’s, Paddyfield, or Blyth’s which are all typically found in open grassland, along the edges of rice-paddies etc. Also note that both Tree and Olive-backed tend to walk quite low to the ground - ie flattened rather than upright, and a walking Olive-backed habitually wags/pumps its tail as it moves along.

  That’s quite a generalised write-up (and ignores species like Water, Rosy, and Red-throated as they’re so different anyway) but I hope it helps a little.

‘Scissor-tailed’ bird nesting in porch - from Kaneez and Chuck, Loiusiana

Hi. I’m so glad you offer your expertise. We have a bird couple that has set up a nest on our front porch. The male has a significantly longer tail that’s scissor shaped (but not quite as large as the scissor tail bird’s)

We think they are sparrows but we haven’t been able to positively identify them online. I know they can look different at different times of the year, but - I’d still like to know for sure! They just had 3 or 4 babies that are SO cute! Birds are so awesome. Maybe you can help us out - I’m putting a few pictures of the bird with this letter.

• A: from Charlie

  Hi there. I think you meant to say ’swallows’ rather then sparrows, as what you have here is a lovely Barn Swallow. They’re summer migrants and are most easily identified by the long scissor-shaped tails and that lovely red throat. Swallows like these keep up an almost constant chatter which (along with a fair amount of poop)some people find really irritating, and sadly many homeowners destroy the nest. It sounds like you guys have taken these beautiful birds to your hearts which is great. There’s plenty of online advice, incidentally, if you’re wondering about what to do with the nest when the swallows migrate south again in the fall, but in the meantime I’d just enjoy having them around while they’re here, and thanks from birders everywhere for looking after them!

 

• Follow-up from Jochen:

  Kaneez & Chuck, in case the poop becomes a problem, there’s ways of dealing with it (and it really isn’t a health problem). Just contact us again if it becomes an issue. Swallows are beyond great and I am very glad you enjoy them!

Crested bird at Barton Creek - from Janet, Austin

First, I’m not a bird person, but I know enough to name all the birds that come to my feeder and be pleased when I see some scissor-tailed flycatchers or a hawk.

I live in Austin, Texas and frequently take long walks in a nearby natural area called the Barton Creek Greenbelt. It is an 800 acre area, wooded with Live and Spanish Oaks and what we call “cedars” which are actually junipers and a good size creek running through it. On two occasions I have seen a bird that I can’t come close to identifying. It is about the size of a small duck, much bigger than a jay. It has a crest similar to a jay or a roadrunner and it has a remarkably long neck. It is brown. I haven’t been close enough to see any small markings, but it doesn’t have a white underbelly or other obvious coloration other than brown. Its legs are long, but not as long as a heron. Its bill is long and pointed. My initial impression, the first time I saw it which was in silhouette, was “it looks like the cartoon Woody Woodpecker.” I’ve seen it fly. The wings seem far back and not very wide. I have seen many Great Blue Herons. This bird is half the size with not anything like the impressive wing spread of those. Each time I’ve seen the bird it has been high up in large oak trees. Can you give me any pointers to birds with these characteristics. I’ve been through my Peterson’s Guides without feeling like I’m seeing anything even close. I do have some pictures, but he’s quite far away in them so they aren’t much help, but I’d be happy to send them.

I’ll be delighted to hear anything that occurs to you about this.

• A: from Mike

  Barton Creek - awesome! Anyway, Janet, that’s a tough bird to call. Based on your description of size, color, and manner, I’m going to throw out Green Heron. While most photos show them with a hunched profile, they can stretch their necks longer than you’d think possible. They do have wispy crests and will perch in trees along water. Another possibility is juvenile Black-crowned or Yellow-crowned Night Herons, but the long neck screams Green Heron.

   

• Follow-up: from Jochen

  Hi Janet! I concur with Mike that your bird is most likely - judging by your description - a Green Heron or an immature Night-heron. The crest of Green Herons is quite amazing and most field guides don’t show the full extend of it. In an old post on my blog, I have a picture of a Green Heron with its crest fully erected and one where the crest is down. Quite a difference.
  Here’s the link: http://belltowerbirding.blogspot.com/2007/06/far-side-of-herons-and-egrets.html

Odd Duck with ‘pink tissue’ - from Norie, USA

Hi. I’ve seen a duck near where I live. It’s mainly black, smaller than a Canada Goose, and has pink tissue around the bill like a chicken. I’ve looked online and in bird books but can’t find it anywhere. Any ideas please?

• A: from Charlie

  Hi Norie. I’m pretty sure I can help with your query - it sounds to me like you’ve found a Muscovy Duck of one variant or another. I rather disrespectfully coined the phrase “manky mallard” to describe domestic varieties of Mallards and included a couple of photos of domestic Muscovys on the post I wrote - have a look at http://10000birds.com/manky-mallards-domestic-feral-or-just-plain-odd-mallards.htm (you’ll need to scroll right down the page) and see if this is your bird.

Unusual bird carving - from Abel

I am looking at a carved bird that is 26 inches long and about 1foot tall and looks kind of like a ruffed grouse, except for the length (the tail is especially long and hangs languidly–more like a peacock’s tail). Is this a fanciful bird? Or is there a real one that meets the description?
Thanks very much.

• A: from Jochen

  Hi Abel. Very often, carved birds are a mixture of real features and “arty” elements. If your bird looks like a ruffed grouse with a long tail, it might be a pheasant of some kind or a pheasant might have served as a basic model for a more fanciful approach. Is it possible for you to send us a picture of the carved bird?