Can you help ID this bird please?

[wev]

Merlyn appears to be off-line or at least won't load for me. This is a small (2" body) seed eater of some kind. Unfortunately, I could only get it up in a tree in not great light. It does have distinctive something at the base of the beak. It may be an exotic. Thoughts?

 

[Stoshowicz]

Merlyn appears to be off-line or at least won't load for me. This is a small (2" body) seed eater of some kind. Unfortunately, I could only get it up in a tree in not great light. It does have distinctive something at the base of the beak. It may be an exotic. Thoughts?

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Beats me, but I would guess that the yellow is a reflection an the undertail , the mouth folds are symmetrical so I figure this thing isnt fully mature. maybe a bunting?

 

[wev]

Beats me, but I would guess that the yellow is a reflection an the undertail , the mouth folds are symmetrical so I figure this thing isnt fully mature. maybe a bunting?

Thanks, but you had it right before the edit -- first year immature scaly munia, which is pretty much what I suspected, but had never seen the munias anywhere except in the creek reeds.

 

[Roy1961]

99% sure this is a Semipalmated Sandpiper, am i correct?

 

[wev]

99% sure this is a Semipalmated Sandpiper, am i correct?

The bill looks too long to me, more Western length, but it is variable and I'm certainly no expert

 

[Roy1961]

The bill looks too long to me, more Western length, but it is variable and I'm certainly no expert

dang these are tough, book says western in summer have rusty backs and heads, but it could be a juvi, at least i got the sandpiper bit correct. lol

Western is still new to me, at least i spotted it different to the Least, head hurts, of to bed.

 

[Marilynne]

I was told this is an American RedStart, but it really doesn't look like any in Sibley.

*

 

[Kevin H]

I was told this is an American RedStart, but it really doesn't look like any in Sibley.

*

Female American Redstart

 

[Marilynne]

Female American Redstart

Thanks Kevin!

 

[Roy1961]

guessing some sort of juvenile swallow?

they were sitting about 3ft apart and flew of together.

 

[wev]

guessing some sort of juvenile swallow?

Yes.

 

[Roy1961]

Yes.

any idea what one?

 

[Kevin H]

guessing some sort of juvenile swallow?

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they were sitting about 3ft apart and flew of together.

Rough-Winged Swallow and not a Juvi

 

[Roy1961]

Rough-Winged Swallow and not a Juvi

New bird for me then, thanks Kevin.

 

[hark]

Only want to identify this duck--neither photo is good. In the first photo, I literally didn't have anywhere to move to get a better vantage point. In the second photo, it is a heavily cropped iPhone photo.

The duck has a green head but a black body with white markings. At this park, I have seen some black ducks mated with white ducks that have some beige/tan markings.

The female that is with this duck looks like a mallard. Any idea if the black duck with the green head and black with white body is a mallard?

 

[nickt]

Only want to identify this duck--neither photo is good. In the first photo, I literally didn't have anywhere to move to get a better vantage point. In the second photo, it is a heavily cropped iPhone photo.

The duck has a green head but a black body with white markings. At this park, I have seen some black ducks mated with white ducks that have some beige/tan markings.

The female that is with this duck looks like a mallard. Any idea if the black duck with the green head and black with white body is a mallard?

He is not a 'normal' colored male mallard. Maybe a hybrid. Black Ducks and Mallards will mix it up.

 

[BackdoorArts]

It's a mallard. They are pretty much an "I'll mate with anything if it'll mate with me" duck, so you get a lot of variants, all of which are still considered mallards. Technically this would be a "dark morph".

 

[Kevin H]

It's a domestic duck often found on farms

 

[hark]

He is not a 'normal' colored male mallard. Maybe a hybrid. Black Ducks and Mallards will mix it up.

It's a mallard. They are pretty much an "I'll mate with anything if it'll mate with me" duck, so you get a lot of variants, all of which are still considered mallards. Technically this would be a "dark morph".

Thanks for the info. I figured it must be some type of mallard with its green head as well as having a female mallard as a mate. Am assuming the father must have been one of the black ducks I've seen there. Just wasn't aware they would mate with a different type of duck. That's kind of like a cardinal mating with a blue jay--something you don't hear happening. But then again, dogs will mate with other species of dogs (which is why there are mutts) so I guess it does happen.

 

[BackdoorArts]

Thanks for the info. I figured it must be some type of mallard with its green head as well as having a female mallard as a mate. Am assuming the father must have been one of the black ducks I've seen there. Just wasn't aware they would mate with a different type of duck. That's kind of like a cardinal mating with a blue jay--something you don't hear happening. But then again, dogs will mate with other species of dogs (which is why there are mutts) so I guess it does happen.

These variants are everywhere so it's likely not a local duck but something that's been in the genetics for a while. Can't honestly say that it becomes a dominant/recessive thing, but who knows?! There are similar morphs in a lot of bird species. The coolest are the white/grey morphs in Yellow-throated Sparrows. They cover both sexes (i.e. both males and females exist in each morph) and their personalities are so unique that you almost never see a mating couple of identical morphs because you need both personality traits to make for a successful brood. There's an article out there about it, I just can't find it at the moment.