Welcome to today’s quiz. Same format as last quiz, where I give quotes verbatim from various field guides.
This quiz has a twist … one clue. I will add clues throughout the weekend, as needed, until someone has the correct answer.
“Wings are entirely black, both above and below”.
As always, unless otherwise noted, bird species are North American.
Good luck!
Jory's first field guide-identified bird was a Northern Cardinal. This turned out to be his gateway drug into birding. In 2007 Jory became the least accomplished birder to see 300 birds in New York State in one year. He has birded the world over but maintains his birding "beginner mind", of which he is inordinately proud. Just ask him. Jory is the 10,000 Birds Avian Quizmaster, coming up with ever more diabolical ways to stump his legion of devoted fans. He lives with his wife and the possessions of his children just outside of Albany NY.
Oh geez – well, I guess it is an important field character to separate it from other species (which means it is not e.g. a cormorant or sea duck)?
okay, eagerly awaiting the next clue, but it might very well be Flesh-footed Shearwater (or Black Rail, or melanistic Eastern Bluebird 😉 ).
Can you please spell avian correctly?
I got it!
American Crow! No? Common Raven? Fish Crow? All of the above! Do I win? 🙂
Coot!
HINT:
You are not looking for an actual field mark. You are looking for what might be written in a Field Guide!
CLUE #2:
“Three subspecies currently recognized” (this from a 2006 field guide).
@Reader and @Mike – thanks for the spell-check and correction.
scarlet tanager
All good guesses … none correct, yet. More clues tomorrow morning.
Looked it up so not going to give an answer but it was one of the first possibilities that popped into my head. Not sure if that means it’s easy or I’m crazy.
@Jason … let it rip!
Clue #3: “Anorexic”
Good luck!
Last clues …
– “Frequently turns and circles.”
– “No other species remotely resembles this bird.”
– … And this is my favorite quote “what is black and white and red all under?” [not from a field guide]
I think I’ve got it…
Does the quiz bird occur as a breeding bird in only one US state?
@Nick: Nope. As one of my references puts it “Common but widely scattered breeder.”
Oh. Well… my answer still works if you squint at the clues real hard. 😛
Keep on squinting 😀
At least one of your references lumps this with another bird all but named in the first clue.
Ah, I got it, too (I think). A world record holder on proportions, as far as I know?
This was the first species that came to mind, yet when I thought about it more thoroughly, I came to the conclusion that its wings aren’t entirely black above and below, particularly not on juvs., and so the idea was dropped…
@Jochen … incredible legs, eh?