Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: kenk on March 16, 2009, 07:44:16 PM

Title: Need help to ID a blackbird
Post by: kenk on March 16, 2009, 07:44:16 PM

A few days ago I saw a bird perched in a cedar tree which I haven't been able to identify. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me.
This bird resembled a brown headed cowbird in size and shape but where the cowbird's head and neck is brown, this bird was bright red like the red on a woodpecker.
It also had two distinct white bars on its wing. Otherwise it was black.
The bright red is what caught my attention.
This sighting was at my home west of Listowel Ontario and I had hoped it would appear again so that I could photograph it but, so far, I haven't seen it again.

Ken

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Post by: Kin Lau on March 16, 2009, 08:59:46 PM

Sounds like a Red-headed Woodpecker.

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Post by: kenk on March 16, 2009, 09:33:04 PM

No, it wasn't at all like a Red-Headed Woodpecker.
There was no white on it other than the two bars on the wing.
The red-Headed has a white belly and rump and a white patch near the end of the wing.
This bird was red on the head and neck like the Red-Headed but the only white were the two bars which were closer to the shoulder.
The bird that I saw also had a shorter beak and was smaller.
My first thought was that it was a Brown Headed Cowbird that somehow ended up with red feathers replacing the brown but the white bars negate that idea

Ken

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Post by: kenk on March 16, 2009, 09:42:11 PM

To illustrate better what I saw......
Take a picture of a Brown Headed Cowbird and substitute bright red for the brown on the head and neck.
Then take the two white wing bars from a White-Winged Crossbill and place them on the Cowbird's wings.
That would be pretty close to what I saw.

Ken

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Post by: Kin Lau on March 16, 2009, 09:42:45 PM

I've seen Yellow-headed Blackbirds that have an orange head. That would be a very good bird to see in Ontario. The white wing-bars + all black body would seem to match.

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Post by: ken.k on March 22, 2009, 10:48:42 AM

Hi Kim

Thanks for your replies.

It may have been a Yellow-headed Blackbird with an orange head but I don't think so.
The head and neck were a bright red, the chest was black, unlike the Yellow-headed Blackbird, and the wing bars were pretty well the width of the wing.
Also I don't recall the black around the beak and eye. I was only about 15 feet from this bird so I got a pretty good look at him.

Thank again,
Ken

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Post by: JMCDA on March 22, 2009, 12:47:27 PM

Any sight of this bird again Ken?  I sure am intrigued by what you saw, I guess you never know what nature is going to throw out there!

You mention that you were able to get quite close to it....have you looked at any exotics to see if this was a captive bird that got away?  

Joann (down in Mitchell)

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Post by: kenk on March 22, 2009, 01:33:54 PM

Hi Joann

I've been watching for it at our feeders and in the tree where I saw it but haven't seen it since. I'm keeping my camera handy in case I do see it again.

I've checked a few websites that have pictures of North American birds and one with photos of birds worldwide with no luck.
The Peterson Field Guide doesn't show it either.

Hopefully it will show up again and I'll be able to get a photo that I can post.

Cheers
Ken

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Post by: Kin Lau on March 22, 2009, 04:42:20 PM

I'm leaning towards an exotic as well.

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Post by: JMCDA on March 22, 2009, 08:35:54 PM

Well, there isn't much when you google it.  I did find a scarlet headed black bird  
 http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&um ... rch+images (http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&um=1&sa=3&q=scarlet+headed+blackbird&btnG=Search+images)

maybe maybe?

Joann

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Post by: kenk on March 23, 2009, 07:41:49 PM

Hi Joann

I took a look at the scarlet headed black bird but it doesn't have the two wing -bars and most descriptions describe a bright orange, not red.

Still no sign of him.

Cheers
Ken