I've got these birds around my feeder that remind me of starlings greatly in coloring except that their feet are black and they have some yellow on their mottled breast. Anyone care to take a guess what they may be? I went thru my Audubon book and the closest thing I see to it is a type of thrasher, but they're not quite right for that either. I tried to take a pic, but my camera isn't good enough to get good detail at that distance.
Ian
Bird ID (no pic)
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Guest
Ian:
Try immature/female red-winged blackbird. (Photo #560 in my edition of the Aububon field guide.) Does that fit? At a quick glance, I find that they can look like starlings.
It is unlikely that you would see a thrasher at your feeders, as they are insectivores not seed-eaters. The brown thrasher, which we do have in OH and KY, is a mimic, like the northern mockingbird. Listen for a series of repeated musical phrases, sung in pairs, instead of the 3 or more repetitions of the mocker.
Try immature/female red-winged blackbird. (Photo #560 in my edition of the Aububon field guide.) Does that fit? At a quick glance, I find that they can look like starlings.
It is unlikely that you would see a thrasher at your feeders, as they are insectivores not seed-eaters. The brown thrasher, which we do have in OH and KY, is a mimic, like the northern mockingbird. Listen for a series of repeated musical phrases, sung in pairs, instead of the 3 or more repetitions of the mocker.
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Guest
You may be right. On my bird, the yellow extends down into the breast area a bit, while on their picture, it is limited to the head. The other markings are the same however. I wonder why they picture the male and the female on different pages, doesn't make much sense.
thanks,
Ian
thanks,
Ian
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Guest
That is one of my complaints about the Audubon field guide. Because they group the birds by color, males and females often end up in completely different sections. The female red-winged is with the brown birds, the male with the black birds. Very confusing.Haywire Haywood wrote: I wonder why they picture the male and the female on different pages, doesn't make much sense.
As for your unknown bird, the female yellow-headed blackbird does have yellow down her throat/breast like you describe, but I don't know how common they are at feeders or in your area. They are mostly a western US species. There have been some rare reports of yellow-headed blackbirds in OH, mostly along Lake Erie.