Yes, it is time once again for that most dreaded of 10,000 Birds exercises, the Diabolical Bird ID Quiz. This time four small portions of passerines have been selected for your best guesses. The only clues you get are that all the pictures were taken in New York in the month of May. As is the norm for these quizzes your answers should be left in the comments and please make sure to leave the entire name of the birds (for example if you think a bird is a Downy Woodpecker please guess that, not just “woodpecker”). First to get all four correct will get at least one life bird by the end of the year. I promise. And, no, you don’t get to pick which life bird.
Diabolical Quiz 1
Diabolical Quiz 2
Diabolical Quiz 3
Diabolical Quiz 4
Good luck!
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
Seeing as how I’m not likely to see a life bird this year, I have no problem showing my ignorance. #1 is a toughie. I’m sure it’s not a rock pigeon, but that’s as bad a guess as any. #2 = male wood duck, #3 = wood thrush, and #4 = gray catbird. There. Now the real experts can pick that apart.
I haven’t a clue on the rest but I think #2 is a Western Scrub Jay. Well, #3 could be a Swainson’s Thrush. Otherwise, I’m lost.
Diabolical I says! Diabolical!
1 – Brown-headed Cowbird
2 – Common Grackle
3 – Hermit Thrush
4 – Gray Catbird
Grackle’s the only one I’m fairly sure of.
1. Tree Swallow
2. Common Grackle
3. Veery
4. Black-capped Chickadee
1. Manky Mallard
2. Passenger Pigeon
3. Great Auk
4. Wood Thrush
5. Labrador Duck
Corey you make my brain hurt.
Yup, I’m with it. There are only 4 photos and I gave 5 answers. Math was never my strong suit.
I blame it on Adult ADD.
At this point I’ll say that three of the birds have been properly identified and the most any single person has gotten correct is two.
What, no more guesses? Very well then. I didn’t want to do this but I will: if you look at this page and don’t guess then you will NOT get any more life birds this year. I promise.
OK, Corey, I’m game.
1. American Crow
2. Common Grackle
3. Wood Thrush
4. Gray Catbird
Well, I don’t want to run out of life birds, so I’ll take a second guess…
1. Tree Swallow
2. Common Grackle
3. Hermit Thrush
4. Eastern Wood-Pewee
Hmmm, tough one. I’m gonna go with –
1. Tree Swallow
2. Common Grackle
3. Wood Thrush
4. Tufted Titmouse
Still no one has gotten more than two right. I’ll help out by saying that no one has gotten bird number 4 correct yet, and by saying that number 2 is, as most people have figured out, a Common Grackle.
Answers tomorrow (Saturday).
1.rock dove
2.common grackel
3.hermit thrush
4.eastern phoebe
change my #3 to veery