Dumb Birder

[ecrofton]

[attachment=1:kucygcp1]Unknown Bird, Sanibel FL USA.jpg[/attachment:kucygcp1]Hi.  I'm new to the forum but a friend told me you people were really good at identifying birds.  I'm not.  I've been at it for years, and I swear I get worse as time passes.  Anyway, I have 2 birds that I just have not been able to identify.  Unfortunately, they were both taken in bird parks, so I cannot narrow anything down by country of residence.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Eric Crofton

[Shortsighted]

Your first bird photo looks like a Gallinule, probably a juvenile.
Your second photo resembles a duck. If it looks like a duck,
well it's probably a duck. It's black, or very nearly black so I'm
thinking gothic duck. Well, maybe not exactly gothic, but certainly
black ... a Black Duck? Maybe a Pacific Black Duck?
Oh ya, you requested advise from someone on this forum that is
an expert at bird ID. I should have restrained myself better and
let anyone else have a go.

[ecrofton]

Hi Shortsighted.  I wondered if it was a gallinule; the only thing throwing me off was the downturned bill.  I'm not sure how much help everything after the first sentence was, but it sure was fun!  Thanks.

Eric

[Shortsighted]

Your dark duck has dark feet and I believe Pacific Black ducks have similarly
dark leggings and socks. It's probably just a fad. The American Black duck
has light-coloured legs and feet ... bare feet .... oh so uncoot.

The Gallinule bill may not be as severely curved as it appears on your photo.
Do you have any other shots of it? I've seen photos of Gallinule with bills
that seem just a little curved, unfortunately I don't have such a photo because
I don't do Gallinules, said the man who couldn't locate a Gallinule to save his life.

[ecrofton]

Thanks for clarifying. Very much appreciated.

Eric