Female Western Tanager?

I have a Mystery Bird! During my trip to Mt. Auburn Cemetery on Sunday I got just a few pictures of what looked like a finch with a pale yellow body. Another distinct characteristic is the white wing bars.

Any thoughts? I can't find any pictures of female tanagers with pale enough bodies. I also considered it might be a female oriole?

I've spent long enough poring through my field guides and doing image searches online. I give up- I'm ready for someone to set me straight!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: I've received two tips that this is likely a female or juvenile Great-crested Flycatcher. Initially I didn't think it was a good fit since the bird seemed larger overall (including the head) and was more sparrow-shaped, but after doing some image searches I think it is in fact a Great-crested Flycatcher.

Comments

Christopher said…

I think what you have there is a female or immature Great-crested Flycatcher. Hard to tell anything about the head with it turned that way, but the white smudgy bars on the wings with the tinge of reddish in the primaries (and maybe a hint on the tail too in the second photo?) as well as the yellow underneath, and dark neck, all speak to a myiarchus flycather to me, and the most common one would be Great-crested. (Although we can't really rule out Ash-throated...)

July 2, 2008 at 8:02:00 AM PDT

Birdinggirl said…

Thanks for the tip Christopher. I actually got the same suggestion from another birder, so you're probably on to something. Thanks for stopping by!

July 22, 2008 at 6:59:00 AM PDT

Difference Between Grackles and Starlings

I saw a sad sight today during my lunchtime jog—a dead grackle. Or was it a starling? I'll get to that in a minute. I was making my way down to the trail along the Charles River when I saw what I thought was an injured bird in the middle of the road. It was just sitting there and I figured it was just stunned or maybe had an injured wing. The bird probably didn't have much of a chance, but the least I could move it out of the road. As I got closer to the bird I saw it had its mouth open and then I realized the gruesome truth—it was dead and was frozen in that position. I just got shivers thinking about it. The poor thing. Anyway, so it got me to thinking 'What is the difference between grackles and starlings?' I use the two interchangeably and haven't really made an effort to sort it out. Until now. I like to use All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an online resource. The site is comprehensive and easy to use. (I also really like the 'Cool ...

Killdeer Chick in Yellowstone National Park

These were taken at West Thumb Geyser Basis, along the beach. It was really cool to get to watch these little chicks up close and personal. I had never seen Killdeer chicks before- only adults. These pictures are from our trip to Montana/Wyoming in July 2012.

Indigo Bunting at Mt. Auburn Cemetery- Lifer!

I was so excited to see my first Indigo Bunting today. I quickly ran over to Mt. Auburn during lunch to take advantage of peak warbler season before it's over. I'm going to be in San Francisco for work all next week so I fear by the time I get back the birds will have moved on. There were a lot of birders there today and of course lots of activity around the Dell. That's where I saw a flash of blue fly into the undergrowth at the edge of the water. None of the other birders with scopes set up were bothering to look at it. I'm assuming they had already seen it and were focusing on other more exciting birds- such as the pair of screech owls that have been reported at the Dell recently. Here is where I first sighted him at the edge of the water. There was also a female cardinal there splashing around trying to cool off. He then flew up into the bushes on top of the wall behind the Dell, where I got a better picture. I was very pleased with the day! It's addicting tho...

BirdingGirl

Search This Blog