The 10,000 Birds Clinic
We’re very fortunate here at 10,000 Birds that our blog attracts a good number of visitors - in 2008 we’d had over 100,000 by mid-April - and very grateful too (no-one likes to get really excited about a project only to find that no-one else gives a damn of course). We’re also fortunate that an increasing number of visitors think that it’s worth asking us to help out with, for example, identification queries, what do with a “baby bird” they’ve just found, or which field-guide they should use on a visit to eg the UK. It seems to us that at the very least it means that our enthusiasm and genuine love for birds is recognised, and - even - that some people out there in the blogosphere feel we might actually be pretty good at what we do!
We’ve been answering readers’ emails on pretty much an ad hoc basis for many months - a question comes in to one of us, we pass it around and one of us answers if we can, and one of us apologises if we can’t. That, though, seems to be missing a good opportunity to do what we really enjoy: spreading bird-related information, involving our visitors, and building an online community (aim for the sky eh?).
Why not instead, we thought, create a more open way of doing things, and actually promote the fact that, hey, we love to help and we’re proud that you think we can? While we’re doing that why not also ask a couple of colleagues if they’d like to join an informal “panel” and really ensure that our knowledge base is spread as wide as possible? Now we’re talking…
The 10,000 Birds Clinic:
What we’ve decided to do then is this:
- Set up what we’re calling the “10,000 Birds Clinic” and use the by-line “Got a question about bird ID, birding best practices, or hotspots across six continents? Ask 10,000 Birds!“
- It doesn’t stop there. We’ve also asked Nial Moores (my brother, but also the founder of conservation organisation Birds Korea and an expert in East Asian birds) and Jochen Roeder (well-known for his quirky Bell Tower Birding blog, but also an extremely knowledgeable and well-travelled birder) to join Mike, Corey, and myself on the firing line.
- On top of that we’re going to post all the questions and answers online where - hopefully - they may be of use to our present and future readers.
- And if our ‘panel’ can’t answer the question (and we’re not so arrogant or stupid that we think we know everything by any means) - well, it’ll be online and we can open it up to the greatest knowledge-base I know of: our readers - and has a more genuinely insightful, friendly, helpful, experienced bunch of birders and naturalists ever been available for the general good before?
Okay, I’m exaggerating a little, but I’m serious too, so please consider this an open invitation to join in.
So, there you go. Send in your queries, we’ll do our very best to give you the benefit of our combined experience, and if we’re not certain we can give you the best and most accurate information you could wish for we’ll open your question up to everyone who drops into 10,000 Birds to see if they can help. Oh, and while the cost of gas is going through the roof, house-prices teeter on the edge, and utility bills dig ever deeper into what’s left of your savings are we going to start charging for this service: of course we’re not.
Getting a question to us:
So, how do you get your question/query/inquiry/problem et al in to the 10,000 Birds Clinic?
It couldn’t be easier. You can either use the “Share your Thoughts” boxes below, but if you’d prefer you can mail me, Charlie, at charlie10000birds - AT - gmail.com and I’ll paste your question under my own email address.
It would be a great help if you could tell us roughly where you live (we don’t need an address, but it helps us to know if you’re in the US, UK, or Asia for example).
Identifying Photographs:
We’re more than happy to try to ID a photo for you, but as this isn’t set up as a forum (we don’t have time to act as moderators unfortunately as we all have full-time jobs too) if you’ve taken a photo of a bird you’d like us to identify you need to email it to me at charlie10000birds - AT - gmail.com. It doesn’t really matter what size it is, but if you can please try to ’shrink’ the file size down to a reasonable size before sending it.
You’ve mailed us…now what?:
The rest of the process will then kick smoothly into action, and your answer will be delivered - gift-wrapped and tied with a bow - within a day or two. Okay perhaps not, but we’ll do our best anyway and that’s a promise…please bear in mind though we’re birders trying to help other birders, not professionals doing this full-time - thanks!
Getting involved:
And where might you go if you want to browse the questions, answers, or combined “Don’t Knows” of the Clinic? Simply go to the top of the sidebar, click on “Pages” and scroll down to “10,000 Birds Clinic”, or click on the “10,000 Birds Clinic” link in the sidebar. We’d love this page to become more interactive - so please don’t think we wouldn’t welcome your expertise and help as well as your questions because we most definitely would!
So how does that all sound eh? Not too shabby if you ask me (which, come to think of it, some of you may be doing anytime soon…)
Like to meet the Panel before you trust them to answer your questions?
Of course you would…
Mike Bergin: Mike lives in New York and is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but what he really aspires to be is a naturalist. Besides founding 10,000 Birds and I and the Bird, Mike is an enthusiastic ‘coder’, designing our current incarnation - and has also created a number of other entertaining sites and resources such as Nature Blog Network and Best Birding Tours.
Charlie Moores: Charlie lives in the UK, works for an airline, and has birded all over the world for more than twenty years. He wants to be a writer, and thinks no-one would believe his life could be so charmed if he didn’t take photos of as many of the birds he sees as possible. Blogging with 10,000 Birds fits his aims, needs, and insecurities perfectly. Really - do birders get much more fortunate than this?
Corey Finger: Corey is a lifelong upstate New Yorker who recently took the plunge and moved to the city. He’s only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list and broke the magical 300 barrier in New York State in 2007 by birding whenever he wasn’t working as a union representative. He lives near Forest Park in Queens with Daisy and their two indoor cats, Hunter and B.B.
Jochen Roeder: Despite currently birding mostly from behind a newborn’s stroller, Jochen still remembers what a lot of birds look like as he has covered almost all of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Namibia and South Africa. He has lived in the US (twice) but is now back in Germany, from where he says he’s happy to join the panel and “cause even more confusion by adding the little knowledge I can muster”.
Nial Moores: Director of conservation organisation Birds Korea, Nial has lived and worked in both Japan and (currently) South Korea, is a renowned tour-leader and is an acknowledged expert on the region’s birds (especially its endangered shorebirds which he is particularly passionate about). He also knows a lot about Radiohead - which may or may not come in useful…
A Little bit of House-keeping:
Quite obviously if we kept all the questions and answers in the “Share your Thoughts” fields below we’d end up (hopefully) with a page stretching from one end of the blogosphere to the next. What we’ll do, therefore, is clear the comments every month, re-post them in a “round-up Post”, and create a dated link to them. We can keep this simple process going until the sands of time run out (or until someone else develops a software programme way more sophisticated that everyone uses instead - whichever is sooner!).
So, if you’d like to know what’s been asked and answered over the weeks and months, check the list below and follow the links to avian enlightenment…
- Round-up #1: April 2008:
US backyard birds ID? - Capacity of Mallard’s night vision? - Middle-east bird ID? - Unidentified feeder birds - Sparrow facing eviction
- Round-up #2: May 2008:
What happens to eggshells? - Have I just seen a Partridge? - Websites for birding trip to Peru? - Please ID raptor on YouTube video - ID two Brazilian birds? - ID Papago Park, AZ bird - Book on Yellow-billed Magpie? - ID of seed-eating bird (USA) - ID Bird coming to feeder Valparaiso, IN (USA) - Is this a House Sparrow? - Mystery bird, Louisiana - Sanctuaries in Garret Mt Reservation? - Is this a Mourning Dove? (USA) - Orange-coloured feeder bird? (USA) - Which banding agency? (USA) - Help needed for single Canada Goose - Rogue Eagles? (USA) - IDs please, Brazil - Hummingbird ID please (USA) - Mystery bird on Kauai, Hawaii - Farmland bird ID (USA) - Odd hooting sound (USA)
- Round-up #3: June 2008: Which pipit is this? (India) - ‘Scissor-tailed’ bird nesting in porch (USA) - Crested bird at Barton Creek (USA) - Odd Duck with ‘pink tissue’ (USA) - Unusual bird carving (USA) - Brown headed bird ID? (USA) - Is this a Mockingbird? (USA) - Is this a Bullock’s Oriole? (USA) - Is this a Bell’s Vireo? (USA) - Juvenile cowbird? (USA) - What owl is this? (Brazil) - What bird is this? (west USA) - What bird is this? (east USA) - What bird is this? (east USA) - Hovering bird ID? (Bahamas) - What bird sings all night? (USA) - What bird have I just seen? (USA) - How can I help a baby bird? (USA) - What baby bird is this? (France) - What bird have I just seen? (USA) - What ducks are these? (USA) - Birds in Istanbul ID help please? (India)
Posted by Charlie on behalf of Paula
Hi. I found your site while looking for someplace that could help me identify this bird. I saw it walking down the park strip near my home in Sandy Utah. I have not seen one like it before. It seems a bit larger than a pigeon. Any information you can provide would be great. Thanks
Hi Paula
Great picture! This lovely bird is a Chukar - a species of partridge native to southern Europe and western parts of Asia. 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 Utah could let us know). In the ‘wild’ Chukars are very wary indeed (I’ve seen them - from a distance - in southern Europe) and a truly wild bird certainly wouldn’t behave like this, so it may well be that someone close to you is raising Chukars and releasing them for hunting.
Cheers
Charlie
Posted by Charlie on behalf of Kathy
I’ve just recently found your site — it is truly amazing! We live in a rural area of Toronto, Ontario, close to a huge parkland/ravine, and we have a wonderful time enjoying the birds and trying to identify them by sight and sound. We have good success, but this one has stumped us a bit.
She/he (attached) hangs out with the robins, but is SO fat and lazy. Very slow moving — will sit in the mulberry tree, or on the lawn for hours. I thought she is either a very pregnant robin or some kind of a thrush with the speckled breast. My sister insists that it is a juvenile robin — if so, a very lazy one!
Would sure appreciate your help.
Hi Kathy. Your sister is correct - this is indeed a juvenile American Robin. By happy coincidence your question and great photos arrived just as I was writing a post about identifying juvenile birds and I think if I refer you to that you may find it useful (I hope so anyway): the post is at - http://10000birds.com/scruffy-youths-and-spotty-adolescents.htm
Cheers
I have noticed a bird quite frequently around my home lately. I have never seen one that looks like this and can’t find it in any of my bird books. I believe it might have a nest in a weeping apple that is very close to my house. It is a long slender bird, dark gray with black markings and a long tail very similar to a mockingbird..it has no white anywhere on it’s body. It’s very talkative and doesn’t seem to be too afraid of me. I’m in northwest Indiana. I first thought it might be a northern mockingbird…..but thought those had white markings. Thanks for any help you can give. Jo
Hi Jo. The nearest I can get to your bird is Grey Catbird which is dark grey with a blackish cap and reddish undertail (which you might not have noticed). It’s in the same family (Mimidae) as the Northern Mockingbird and is a similarly exuberant vocalist (though not so remarkable a mimic). The species is called ‘catbird’ because it has a mewing, cat-like call - have you heard that at all?
I’d be very interested to know if this is your bird - it always helps to refine our answers if we can get an idea whether we’re interpreting the questions sent to us correctly!
I just saw a woodpecker similar to a northern flicker, but black, with orange stripes on the wings. What is it? Not shown in the birds of Puget Sound! Thanks
Hi John. There are so few birds with “orange stripes on the wings” that I wonder if what you saw was a Varied Thrush rather than a woodpecker? It’s quite a wary forest bird normally and you may have seen it rocket off a tree like a woodpecker as it flew off.
The only other remotely likely suggestion I can come up with is Red-breasted Sapsucker: I saw one in Seattle a few months ago and though it hasn’t got orange in the wings in a brief view of a flying bird the impression you may get is of a dark woodpecker with flashes of orangey-red.
Not sure if that helps. If anyone else has a better idea please feel free to comment.
I live in Scottsville, Ky which is SE of Bowling Green. I just spotted a bird that I don’t find in the bird books. Could be a young bird. Looked to be about the size of a female cardinal, was colored up like a sparrow with all the stripes(on it’s head too) with a white throat and yellow breast. I kept looking at it til it flew away wondering what it could be. Any ideas?
Hi, I am looking for a bird that has a description of voice as - did he do it . It was a description in a book my mother read to my son when he was younger. I live in England. Can you help?
Hi Angela. I too live in England and I can only think of two common species that might fit. The most likely of the two is the Great Tit, which has so many calls I grew up thinking that any bird call I didn’t know would turn out to be given by a Great tit, and the other is a Song Thrush. Both do give a rendition of the call you describe: the Great Tit’s version is not especially musical - it’s a contact call and is a sort of loud whistle - whereas the Song Thrush gives it as part of a more melodic series of repeated notes as it sings. If you’re hearing this call as just part of the general background throughout the day I would think the Great Tit is the most likely.
Hi Charlie,
That is it! I looked it up on line once you suggested the gray catbird………and the picture of it is definitely what I saw. The darned thing is gone now. I haven’t seen it for several days now. Sure was entertaining while it was here.
Thanks so much for your help……
Jo
Hi Freda. I’m wondering if what you saw was a female Dickcissel. They do breed in good numbers in Kentucky, and females certainly have the sort of pattern and colour you mention (notably the white throat and yellow breast). Could this be your bird?
My name is Sean, I’m from Victoria, Australia. My dad has a bird tattoo he got when he was 17 and i am going to get a similar tattoo but i need to know what type of bird it is in his tattoo. Not sure if you could help me but i thought you would have a better idea then me.
The attached photo is not great quality but hopefully provides enough detail to identify the bird. I have done some research and i think it may be some type of swallow or bluebird.
Hope this isn’t too much trouble.
Hi Sean. Not too much trouble at all.
I’ve put your photo through PhotoShop to see it better. As far as I can tell the tattoo is of a hummingbird taking nectar from the flower on a tropical creeper. I don’t think it’s a particular species of hummingbird though (the colours don’t match anything I know) and it’s much more likely that the tattoo artist created a sort of generic, generalised hummingbird rather than an actual one. Many tattoo artists aren’t birders of course and use a photo and the inks available to match up to the client’s skin tones rather than attempt an actual species. If you took this photo when you get yours done you could probably get something similar, though the artist may well have a whole page of designs of his/her own to show you.
Hope that helps.
We are having issues with very aggressive birds in and around our yard. We believe they are Northern Mockingbirds. They will not leave our dog alone and have started swooping down on my husband and I as well. At first there were only 2 of them, then 3 now this AM I encountered a5 or 6 of them with more in the air.
The strange thing is that we have found empty ground nests and can only attribute that to these birds. Is there any way to encourage them to move on? Will this behavior stop after mating/nesting season, or are we going to be unable to use our yard the rest of the summer.? Do not want to harm these birds but they are getting totally out of hand.
Thanks for the ID on the bird. I thought it kinda looked like that
bird, but the book I have doesn’t give a good description of the
females…practically no description!! It would be helpful in a book
that the author would include not only a description, but a photo or
a drawing of both birds and the younger ones too.(Juat like plant or
tree books, nobody wants to include close ups of the flowers and
leaves…you’re just supposed to know!!
Thanks again. Hopefully I will get another look at my new friend
sometime soon.
Posted by Charlie on behalf of Diane
Hi there- My friend and I have been scratching our head over this picture. She took it over the 4th of July week at a lake in Maine. Can you identify it?
Photo copyright Tammy Allen
Hi Diane. I sure can identify your and Tammy’s bird. This is a Muscovy Duck - originally a native of Mexico but now widely domesticated and found on lakes and ponds all over the place!
We’ve a few photos (eg the one below) showing the colour variety that Muscovies now come in on the blog at http://10000birds.com/manky-mallards-domestic-feral-or-just-plain-odd-mallards.htm (you’ll need to scroll down to the bottom of long page to find them).
“Curly-haired” domestic Muscovy Duck - UK, June 2008.
Photo © Charlie Moores
Posted by Charlie on behalf of Don and Marge
We’re California birders who were visiting relatives in northern NY state. We saw this (these) birds on a farm just north of Lowville, NY. about a week ago. It seems that there were two birds, the one in the tree looks more mature than the one on the post. In any case, we have been unable to find a bird in Sibley that is close to this. Can you help us out?
Hi Don and Marge. This may surprise you but what you’ve got here is either one or two female (or juvenile female) Red-winged Blackbirds. Eastern birds are paler and appear more contrasting than many of the western “bicoloured blackbirds” you’re perhaps more used to seeing: I’ve certainly noticed how dark many western blackbirds look when I go to California compared with eastern birds. Sibley does actually illustrate both forms (on page 513), but without seeing them for yourselves in the field it’s hard to appreciate how different they can look.
Linda (from several comments up),
To make sure that the birds are mockingbirds check out Mike’s definitive post.
Mockingbirds can be quite the terror! Try using a water gun to scare them off when they are actively attacking…hopefully, their behavior will change. Probably only one (or maybe two) will stick around as I imagine the new recruits you’ve noticed are probably fledglings (and getting bad lessons on interpersonal relationships from their aggressive parents, apparently). Their aggressiveness should fade as breeding season ends and the young disperse, but mockingbirds have been known to vigorously defend a winter food supply. Remember, while you see the mockingbirds as invading your yard they see the situation the same way but reversed!
One other thing…I haven’t come across reference to mockingbirds being ground nesters so it seems unlikely that they are responsible for the nests you found (and it is also unlikely that more than one pair of mockingbirds is nesting in your yard unless you have a huge yard).
I live in Irving Texas and have found the most unusual birds in our back yard since we moved here a year ago. We live on a golf course and it seems different types of birds come by. We had the Cedar Waxwings earlier this spring and enjoyed them very much…had never seen them before. Now I continue to see a bird that is about the size of a large robin with what I can only describe as a chest that looks like it has a brown fur coat on it! The chest is THICK brown feathers that drape open like a curtain over the breasts and exposes a white underneath layer. I am trying to get a picture and more information as I would like to find out what kind of bird this is. The rest of the body is greyish black with white stripings on it. I will continue to watch to get a better view and hopefully a picture. Do you have any idea what kind of bird this might be? thanks much.
Hi there,
I just recently found a baby mockingbird in our front yard. I looked around and the trees we have aren’t big enough to hide a nest nor do we have any bushes. My only guess is that our neighbors accross have great big oak tress and this baby bird somehow made it’s way to our yard. Anyhow, I went accross to look for it’s parents but didn’t see anything so with all our stray cats I decide after debating for 2 hours to bring the baby in and feed him. Which has been almost every 30min those parents are amazing!!!! My question is what do I do? I have two conures so I am pretty familiar with birds but I couldn’t live with myself if this bird had been killed by our neighborhood stray cats or dogs. Is it illegal that I have him in my home? Unsure of what to do please someone help.
we live in Dexter, Oregon. a cliff swallow nest fell from our barn. two nestlings died, but two fledglings survived the fall, but were too young to leave on the ground for the parents to care for. 10 days later they are about ready for me to set out on a ledge close to the barn from which they fell. however, one of them has lost one wing feather, second or third from the outer edge of the wing. will this prevent the bird from being able to fly well enough to survive ? if so, i will take it to the local rehab center until it grows another. i so wanted them to be released together at the barn so they would be with their parents flock, and they seem very attached to each other. will they be able to feed themselves as well or do i need to take meal worms out to the ledge we made for them next to the barn ?
Posted by Charlie on behalf of Sandy
Hello, here is a few photos I took on 7/11/08, at Klineline Pond in Vancouver, Washington. The duck was swimming around with a regular male Mallard. No idea what is was, except some sort of oddly-colored Mallard. Excellent site, feel free to use these photos however you’d like!
Hi Sandy. Interesting photos - thanks for sending them in.
I think this is probably a Mallard x Muscovy Duck hybrid. The head shape and bill length is wrong for a domestic Mallard of any type I can think of (the smooth curve to the rounded nape isn’t right, and the bill is too long); there seems to be a slight white/pale mark behind the eye which seems typical of this hybrid; there is a hint of a white neck collar which also appears to be usual; the dark plumage with the green-glossed feathers seem typical too. The colour of the bill is unusual for the hybrids I’ve seen (or have photos of) but I suspect that it’s well within variation - they tend to be pinker, but who knows what genetics will create! The tail feathers are often ’sharper’ and longer in this hybrid, but again that may - along with the bill - be a result of the Mallard genes being more strongly represented. I’m not an expert on these birds by any means (and I doubt anyone would - or should - claim to be 100% sure that they know what every Mallard x Muscovy hybrid will look like) but I think that it’s the likely answer.
Donna (from a few comments up)
I’ve been trying to work out what you’re seeing here but to be honest I can’t think what it is. A bird larger than a Robin rules out many smaller birds of course, and you’re not likely to be seeing a waterbird of any sort without mentioning it. Female Grackles have that “brown coat” look you mention and are larger than Robins, but they don’t match the rest of the plumage. Some raptors appear “greyish black with white stripings” though: does your bird sit perched upright on a fence or on a branch? I can’t think of much else that has the features you mention. I’d love to give you a better answer, and if you do get the chance to send more info in I’d welcome another crack at it for you!
Hi Pat,
You seem to have done a great job nurturing these two swallows for so long - well done. I wouldn’t be too concerned about your birds losing the odd feather (unless they are losing clumps of them or you can see that the loss is caused by an infestation of feather mites - it’s difficult to see the mites with the naked eye, but the feather shafts will have tiny holes in them and the whole bird can look tatty and ‘moth-eaten’) as birds can still fly with lost feathers: moulting birds seem able to fly okay with banks of feathers lost and no tails for example! The feathers will grow back soon enough. After ten days in your care the parents may well not ‘recognise’ their young and return to feeding them, so feed them mealworms by all means, though please don’t put out dried mealworms: dry foods can absorb so much water in the stomach that they swell and block the intestines of small birds (this includes dry bread). Hopefully if the young birds can fly they’ll start to find their own food quite quickly. If you get a chance please let us know how they get on!
These are the birds I think were chasing the Ruddy Ground Doves the other day, they certainly were this morning! Once again the dogs let me know something was amiss, and these birds were in a particular coconut tree where I know the Doves live.
I let the dogs do there bit - barking furiously and the group of black ‘parrot’ birds went and sat on the wires down the road - me following hot foot with an albeit very simple camera - no zoom to speak of, but I do hope you can take a closer look.
As long as I have lived here you see this small flock of birds, I am calling them parrots (until you put me right!!) because of their rounded hooky beaks and long tails. I have previously been told not to invite them into the garden because they would strip the fruits. There is plenty of other places they can go!
Hi Jeanie. What you’re describing here are a band of Smooth-billed Ani - a bird related to cuckoos, but without the typical cuckoo habit of laying eggs in other birds nests (which is called ‘brood parasitism’ by the way). I remember often seeing groups of these birds by the roadside in Brazil (they’re found from Florida down to Argentina by the way). Zooming in on your photos seem to show the typical humped bill - which is undoubtedly what made you think of parrots :)) I don’t think they’ll do any harm to any of the birds in your garden - they’re boisterous but not violent as far as I know - but they are voracious eaters so your fruiting plants may suffer!
Any chance that you can identify a pair of birds I caught on my finch feeder (thistle-seed) which is usually neglected when my other feeders are full? I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and spotted these two in July. They both looked like cardinals — bright orange beaks, crest on the top of their heads, smaller and not so plump, BUT they had quite a bit of brown mixed in with shades of red — no distinct pattern; these birds were not the brilliant red of the other cardinals I have hanging around and there was no black contrast at the beak. Are they simply young cardinals and will eventually turn bright red, or is this another bird entirely? Thank you!
Hi Denise! Yes, the birds you describe are either female or juvenile cardinals. Beautiful, aren’t they?
Thanks so good to put a name to a bird!
Hey if anyone is out there I have a baby fly catcher and im in desperate need of what to do. he eats bugs but i have to force feed. crickets are what i use. also i have a question… how do you keep them hydrated…and also fed? hes very little….fully feathered. And hes going down hill as i care for him. i have raised many sparrows magpies, crows, starlings, pigeons etc. PLEEZE HELP ME!!!! im nervous. he almost was bull snake food in his nest and he leapt from the tree and i could not get him back up there. that is why i have him.
I saw the attached birds today. Could the first one be a Greater Pewee? It has the grayish wing bars, there is a crest. But can it be found this far north? Sibley’s map makes it look like it could be found here, but other sources say it is only is found SE Arizona. The other one I have no idea. The bill seems like a Thrasher’s but the coloring I can’t match to anything. The pictures were taken at Pioneer Village, Phoenix Arizona. Pioneer Village is a “Old Western” tourist town located in northern Maricopa County.
Hi Mike. Interesting photos as always.
Your top bird is not a pewee but one of the Myiarchus flycatchers. Unlike pewees all Myiarchus look ‘long’, have rufous in the tail, rufous in the wing, and relatively heavy bills (note too that Greater Pewees show noticeably orange lower mandibles - a feature you can see from quite a distance in my experience, and one which would show in this photo). It’s not any use here, but if this bird was facing the other way you’d also see a strong contrast between a greyish throat and yellowish belly which would also rule out Greater Pewee.
It’s not easy separating the four Myiarchus species from a single photo, and on range I think I’m right in saying that three of them - Dusky-capped, Brown-crested and Ash-throated - would be possible in Maricopa County: the thick bushy crest and long bill (from what can be seen) point to Brown-crested rather than Ash-throated, and the extensive rufous in the tail should rule out Dusky-capped. There is some debate over whether it’s possible or not to separate these species just using the pattern of rufous in the tail feathers, but I wouldn’t be confident of doing that on one photo - especially in this view.
A diagnostic separation feature would be the call: if you see a “tricky” flycatcher-type again try and make a note of the call and that’ll usually lead you (or us) to the right bird…
Your other bird is a little more straightforward, and is one of my favourite desert birds - the Cactus Wren (which, incidentally, is the State bird of Arizona). You’ll normally hear Cactus Wrens before you see them - listen out for a raucous chattering as a group of wrens crash about the undergrowth. If you’d like more info and photos we have a page on the blog at http://10000birds.com/cactus-wrens.htm
I agree with your call on BC Flycatcher Charlie, the habitat is right as well.
In fact I wrote a post about just this thing a few months ago using skins at the local museum if it may help:
http://thedrinkingbird.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-oh-myiarchus-post-for-jochen.html
Hi Nate. I’d forgotten you’d posted about GC and BC Flys - thanks for reminding me: very helpful. Both the tails you show in your post look like adults - do you know if the pattern holds up for young birds too? Cheers
I can’t be sure of that. We only had adults of the western Myiarchus to compare and I don’t have any personal experience with juvis of those birds to speak of.
If they’re like GCs I’d expect the pattern to hold up for the most part, but I don’t know for certain.
Jaye, on our phoebe post, a reader recommended Kaytee Exact hand feeding formula for young flycatchers. Ground beef and dog food are also options for these insectivores.
We have a nest of little song birds on top of the flue of our 2 story chimney. The mom is flying in and out with no problem. Will the babies be able to fly out eventually?
Hi Victoria. I wouldn’t worry, before we came along and built houses etc many birds originally nested in holes in tree trunks or on cliffs and are adapted to this sort of situation - the young birds will strengthen their flight muscles with plenty of vigorous wing-flapping before they attempt to leave the nest and will cope just fine. One thing you might be aware of though: if the young birds fell out of the nest would they drop down behind a closed off fireplace or would you be able to get to them? Young birds often ‘explore’ their immediate surroundings before fledging and you may need to rescue one of them at some point! Hopefully that won’t happen but it might be worth keeping a kindly eye on them just in case!
Hi Charlie,
I just returned from Costa Rica a few days ago and am stumped. I was in Manuel Antonio area and it was the morning after a severe rainstorm, so maybe this bird got blown off course. This species is definitely not in my copy of Garrugues and Dean - The Birds of Costa Rica.
The bird was foraging on the ground in garden like setting in Quepos. The bird’s bill had a striking (almost flourescent) orange bill (about typical tanager size). It was about 8 inches and had a striped head (white and dark brown or black stripes- kind of like a white crowned sparrow) and the wings and body were a uniform rich almost chocolate brown (a tad toward red). I was looking down and didn’t get a good view of the belly, but it was dark and I think it was the same brown as upper body - it was not white like the orange-billed nightingale thrush, though the body shape of the bird gave the overall impression of a thrush or small robin. Any thoughts on what I might have seen? It’s driving me crazy!
Thanks for any help,
Hi Jill. Ah, Costa Rica - I’ve never been there. Your bird sounds very interesting. The nearest I can find is Orange-billed Sparrow - but I don’t think it has reddish upperparts: maybe the bird looked darker because it was in the shade/shadows? Hopefully one of our readers will be able to provide an answer for you…
Sounds like Orange-billed Sparrow to me too. I can’t think of anything similar. There’s a photo on Wikipedia that shows that this species can look ‘reddish’ at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-billed_Sparrow
Seeing this pic that shows the dark belly and the brownish hue (book shows the birds as green) and given my top view that could have skewed the amount of white striping on the head I thought I saw I think you guys nailed this one. You’re awesome! Whew. Now I can sleep at night
I just saw a pair of raptors I have never seen before. I live in Houston, Texas near a bayou and see numrous waterfowl. But today, as I was playing with my dog in the back yard, I noticed the medium sized to large duo. What caught my attention were their scissor-shaped tails! They were mostly white with the outline of their wings black. One had just caught lunch, which looked like a field mouse or a baby bird. Can you help me with the identification? The tail was what was so unusual.
By the way, I have really enjoyed this website! I had to read several of the letters before I remembered what I had started out to do! Thanks!
Hi Cathy,
You’ve just given as good a description of a Swallow-tailed Kite as I could need! The forked tail and black outline of the wing (formed by the contrast between the dark flight feathers and the white coverts) make this beautiful bird of prey unmistakeable. In the US it’s found along the Texas Gulf coast along to Florida. Great sighting and not something the 10,000 Birds Team get to see very often (hardly ever would be more accurate in fact!).
Thank you, Charlie, for your quick response! Wow! That’s pretty exciting! Of course I’ll probably be scanning the sky for their return for weeks….!
Hi Charlie,
Hope you can help. I took this at Lake Norman, NC about 2 weeks ago. It was mingling around plain old regular ducks and really stood out! Thank you!
Hi Debbie. Yes, that’s definitely a Muscovy Duck, and one not too far off what the original Mexican birds looked like. They’re sort of ugly but striking and noble at the same time aren’t they!
Hi Charlie. A friend of mine pointed me at your website while trying to help me ID a duck I saw yesterday. We both suspected he was a mallard hybrid, as we could not find anything like him in our field guides. But if he’s a mallard-cross I’m not sure what he’s crossed with. He’s certainly an exceptionally handsome duck, with a dark (looks black) head and neck, and the purple on his wing is really striking - but no clue where that might come from. If you have any ideas I’d love to know them.
Anyway, this picture was taken yesterday, July 20, at the Meadowlands Environment Center in Lyndhurst, NJ
Hi Debbie. Well done for getting this handsome chap (the unmarked greeny yellow bill says ‘male’) in mid-flap - it’s very helpful to be able to get a good look at the speculum (the glossy purple and white patch on the innerwing) when you’re trying to ID a duck as each species has their own distinctive pattern and it’s possible for both us and other ducks to work out - in most cases - which species is involved by looking at them (ducks use the speculum as one way to identify each other when they’re flying in flocks, for instance).
Mallards usually show a bluer speculum than this, but the blue can look purple from certain angles and in certain lights so I would think is within the normal range of a Mallard. The pattern of the speculum - ie the glossy feathers framed by white bars and outlined with black - is perfectly typical of a Mallard though. Based on that I think it’s very likely indeed that your bird is 100% Mallard - therefore a domestic “manky mallard” rather than a hybrid of any sort.
How he ended up looking like this is anyone’s guess, but - you’re right - he’s a looker!
Hi - I have a similar problem as Frida above. We have a very small backyard. We have had grey catbirds swoop down on us frequently. Unfortunately, it appears that their nest is very near our outdoor grill, shich is large can not be moved away. How can we deal with this isssue without causing any harm to the birds? They ar becomming very aggresive and bothersome. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
Hi Charlie. I’ll be spending 2 days in Nairobi prior to and 2 days after a trip to Uganda. Have you ever hired a guide/driver in the Nairobi area? If so would you kindly advise a contact. Do you have any suggestions.
Hi Jack
Last time I was in Nairobi (in June) I hired Shailesh Patel, who was excellent and was a reasonable price too. I’m not sure how long he’ll be in NBO as he was looking to come to the UK at some point I think, but if you can reach him he’s well worth hiring.
His email address is honeyguide_sk@yahoo.com
Posted by Charlie on behalf of Chris
Hi Charlie,
My father sent me 3 pictures of a bird visiting his feeder in the garden. He lives near Manchester in the UK - we suspect it is an escapee but maybe you could help identify it.
Thanks in advance
Hi Chris. Great photos. Strangely enough this is a bird I only saw and photographed last week myself - but in Nigeria! It’s a male Northern Red Bishop, sometimes called Orange Bishop (your bird is actually much more orange than mine - the photo’s at http://10000birds.com/so-howd-abuja-suit-ya.htm). They are kept as cagebirds and - as you suspect - it will be an escape. Nice bird to find in your garden though!
Birding Seattle on the sly–Need some advice on sneaking in some birding while on a family vacation second week of August. (My family doesn’t bird.) We’re staying in the city for a few days, then the San Juan Island overnight, then Mt. Vernon and the Northern Cascades for a few days. The Bremerton Ferry looked like a good bet, but I don’t know if the birds would be there in August like they were in March when you went. If I can only get away for a morning here and there, or see birds as well as other events, what would you recommend? Thanks!
Hi. I hope someone can help identify this bird I took pictures of today. I found it dead on my lawn in New Brunswick, Canada. I could not find it in my bird book. Its about 10 inches/25 cm from the end of the beak to the end of the tail feathers. Thanks!
Hi there,
This is a recently-fledged (it appears to me) ‘eastern’ Northern Flicker. The lovely yellow shafts to the flight and tail feathers are very typical of the species. Difficult to say how it died without looking at the corpse itself, but what a shame that it managed to survive just long enough to leave the nest and get killed!
All the best
Charlie
(Re: Northern Flicker)
Thank you for your prompt reply. Now that I have a name I do see it in my book. I was looking for yellow feathers in the pictures in the bird book. I didn’t realize the red on his neck was his feather colour. Knowing that, we think he flew into the side of the house, because he was very close to it. Unfortunately we have not seen any live birds like that around. We’ll watch more closely now! I was taken by surprise with the yellow feathers when I turned him over . Two other species we have not seen in the neighbourhood before, showed up this past winter. We’ve never noticed Bohemian Waxwings or Pine Grosbeaks before but saw them a few times this year. Maybe climate change is making a difference or as new part time bird watchers we are more observant. Anyway thanks again. Your new website is a great idea!
(Re Lauri’s question re Seattle on the 27th July)
Apologies for the slow response - it’s been flat out here!
I’m afraid that a good many of the birds I saw from the ferry are winter visitors (most of the grebes and ducks especially), and will still be on the breeding grounds. The gulls and the Bald Eagles are of course resident, but I don’t think much else is - though I believe Pigeon Guillemot should be possible.
I’ve actually only birded Seattle in August on one occasion and I went down to Discovery Park (easy enough by cab or bus). It wasn’t hugely exciting, but it was easy and enjoyable. I don’t know if you’ve birded the West Coast before, but the park has plenty of Western species like Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Pacific-slope Fycatcher, White-crowned Sparrow, and there were good numbers of Caspian Terns flying around. There will certainly be shorebirds coming through by then too. A fellow blogger visited here and a few oher sites in June and his bird list was reasonably impressive (http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2006/06/back-from-seattle.html)
There’s quite a lot of info on the net, and one place I do keep meaning to visit is the Union Bay Natural Area (or Montlake Fill). I think this would be quite rewarding in August and access is easy and free (http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/birding_site_details.aspx?id=24&ecoregion=3) - there should be good numbers of shorebirds especially.
I hope that’s some help - I wish I could tell you more from personal experience but Seattle is not a place I get to very often. Maybe one of our visitors has some better suggestions?
I bought a birds from a shop, according to them this is a mynah bird species, but from my research online
i could find nothing similar than this. hope u can help me, identify this bird. it’s a clever bird supposedly could talk.
thanks.
Hi Alex
This bird is a Eurasian Jay - a species of crow. You bought this bird in a shop? If so you’ve been conned as it’s illegal to sell wild birds, and I can’t imagine that this is NOT a wild bird that’s been taken from the wild (it has no rings that I can see). If this is a bird you’ve found and caged then you’re breaking the law.
There is no chance whatsoever this bird will ever talk. Jays are not pets, they’re wild birds. They’re smart and intelligent, but they will not learn tricks and I repeat will NEVER be able to talk.
You may not want to hear this, but I am very sad that you would buy a bird without knowing what species it is: how can you know what it needs to eat, what its habits are, where it came from, how long it might be expected to live etc etc? If you didn’t buy this but caught it and are hoping for advice, then the only advice I have for you is to let it go in the wild where you found it.