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Help ID bird that flew into window

15 years ago

Hi all,

I was reading the Sunday paper when I heard that dreaded thump against the window. I ran outside and looked around, and found a bird sitting there stunned on the ground (thankfully it was still alive!). I held it for awhile, then watched it in the grass for awhile. It finally flew up to a low branch on a bush. YAY! Hopefully it has no internal injuries.

I wish I could have taken a picture of it, but I didn't want to leave it.

I'm thinking its a juvenile, and I'm not very good ID'ing juveniles. But then again, it might be an adult. It was around the size of a medium sparrow.

It was a beautiful color of brown, but its feathers had a cream/light orange tint to the tips. It had a streaked breast. It had an eye line that had a bit of orange on the ends of the line.

The feathers were beautifully marked. I've looked through my bird book and the only feathers like that are on birds like the meadowlark, whip-or-will, etc. Maybe some juvenile birds have that marking that they lose when they get older?

It had a medium black bill and black legs. That's about all I can remember.

I wish the bird books included juvenile pics too.

Any ideas what it might have been?

I'm in central Indiana, and migration is on.

I'd love to figure out what this sweet beautiful little bird was.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

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Comments (8)

bbcathy
15 years ago
Could it be a Carolina Wren?
Cathy
catherinet
Original Author
15 years ago
No, we have alot of the carolina wrens, and I know what they look like.
This had a beautiful chocolate brown color with cream/orangish curved tips on its feathers. It was bigger than a wren.
I get lots of birds out here, and this one really stumps me. Sorry I'm not more descriptive about it. I should have run in and grabbed my camera, but I was afraid of something getting it while I was gone.
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Hi Brenda , the mystery bird could be about 8-9 inches but in a slim way not a chunky way. It really gave my bluebirds a working over too! LOL...It seems to have taken a liking to a particular part of my chainlink fence that happens to be close to the nestbox so this upsets the bluebirds. It wouldn't give in to the blues either it kept its ground. Which usually the blues run other birds away from their box but this pretty bird wont go. The way it twitters i thought maybe a swallow but it just doesnt look right and it does look like a king bird shape. You may be right about it being a kingbird because i looked at some pics of kingbirds to see if it could be and i really think you are right. But it says the kingbird we should have has a white belly and this one has a yellow belly. It also puffs its head feathers up when it gets upset so it looks like it has a fuzzy hat on. Its really cute and holds itself very straight and perches on the fence to see insects in the grass. Do you think it could be a western kingbird that got lost? I saw it flying with the group of sparrows that are here migrating so maybe it flew here with them. I didn't see it here all summer, just this past week when all the little different sparrows started showing up. What if it got with the wrong group of migrants? I think they go to south America dont they? Maybe mine can go to Florida and keep warm. I haven't seen it today but there has been a big gray hawk hanging around all day so i haven't seen many birds at all today. I dont blame them, its a big gray hawk that i thought was an owl at first but then i seen it was a hawk. So i guess that was my bird sighting today! LOL.... Thanks Brenda Bonnie
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Doesn't look like an ovenbird as it doesn't have the central well-defined orangish head stripe. Not sure a Hermit Thrush as the tail is not distinctly rusty and different from the back feathers, though hard to tell in the photo for sure. By the size of the breast spots being round and quite defined, I am inclined to say Wood Thrush as well. BN
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I had to look this one up, at first I thought it was an ovenbird, but it looks just like a Northern Waterthrush. Not sure where you live, but from my bird book that is the closest I can come to iding this little cutie. Glad it is ok. When a bird hits my window, I put them in a large brown paper bad from the grocery store, fold it over so they cant get out. I put the bag in a dark quiet part of my house so they can recover away from the hot sun, cats and hawk danger. When I hear them fluttering in the bag...I let them go. Great pic!! Karen
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Yes, indeed, poor thing. We had taken out the screens in that window but put them back up so that if a bird hits the bottom part, they have a bit of a 'cushion.' Trouble is the screens are only at the bottom, there's plain glass up above. I do think, however, that most of hits we've had have been on the bottom. Swainson's thrush...hmm, my bird book shows it to be brown. Size is probably right. We're tried various decals for the windows esp. that window since it's not too far from a feeder and right now there are several dogwood trees heavy with berries. But nothing seems to work. Ideas? One thing...I saw the bird hit and it did not hit straight on but came in from the side almost as if it was seeing its shadow and attacking. Thanks for your help. I think I saw another bird of the same type and have my outdoor camera set up to try to catch a picture of it. Linda...
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rachel_frome_ky
15 years ago
Female Red-winged Blackbird?
catherinet
Original Author
15 years ago
Not an adult female RWBB. I'm not sure what a juvenile looks like. It was beautiful, and had that hint of orange and cream in places around the chocolate brown feathers. Very black beak and legs.
catherinet
Original Author
15 years ago
This morning I was looking out my window and there were several white-throated sparrows eating dandelion seeds. I got to look at them pretty good for awhile. I'm thinking the bird that hit the window was a juvenile white throated sparrow. The feather patterns are similar, and the orange tint I was seeing might have been the juvenile version of the yellow at the start of the eye line.
I have had so many birds in my yard, eating various weeds recently. I guess there is something good coming from our lawn mower breaking down. haha I'm tempted to leave alot more of the yard grow up, but there's things like septic field, geothermal lines, etc. to have to worry about.
Anyhow......I think my mystery is solved and I can move on to the next one! :)
abbybirds
15 years ago
There are two color variations of white-throated sparrows... maybe it was the tan form?
catherinet
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks abbybirds,
I didn't know that! I'll have to check that out.
renee_2006
15 years ago
I don't know what your bird could be but White-throated Sparrows don't nest in Indiana.

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/640/overview/White-throated_Sparrow.aspx

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