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Please ID This Little Gray Bird :)

10 years ago

Howdy everyone! Can someone please tell me what kind of bird this is? It looks like a Boreal Chickadee when I looked in my field guide but that's only found as far south as Northern NY and I'm in Northeastern PA. Then again this guide is from 1977 so maybe the ranges have changed? We live in a dry, rocky area and the majority of trees on our property are conifers if that may be useful in the determining the species.

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Comments (7)

tmff
10 years ago
This is a flycatcher, but telling which one can be tricky. This one has no wing bars, no eye ring, and its folded wing tips are short. All this plus its dark bill and head lead me to believe it's an Eastern Phoebe. Was it dipping its tail or doing any calling?
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birding_nut
10 years ago
Yup, looks like an Eastern Phoebe to me too.

BN
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BN, that was really great description/comparison between the two. Thanks much for your input. Think you, Jan, and beegood are right on about it being a song sparrow! -mxyplx, maybe a new prescription is in order??? ;-) This guy isn't a Junco, but don't you just love those little guys? Never used to have them (or at least see them) around this particular area until a few years ago. Now they are all over the place and I am very glad of it! Think the ones around here may be the Oregon Junco... CMK
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Thanks Konrad. Its a pretty dark picture. After searching for images on the internet, I think I'm inclined to think its a young starling. I read that both cowbirds and starlings walk instead of hop, so I'm thinking starling. There have been several adult starlings around, but never with this little one. Maybe I'll try to lighten the pic. I should have done that to start with.
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Did it have that black line between his beak and his eye? If so, it was probably a Northern Mockingbird. I know I'm still seeing them around here.
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Box_Turtle
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you so much TMFF! Unfortunately this bird was there for only a split second before it took off so I didn't have time to observe any of its behavior. It was also photographed through a very thick window so I didn't hear any vocalizing. There HAS been some bird in the area recently calling over and over again...sounds a little like "Kerry, Kerry..." or "keeery, keeery" but maybe what I'm hearing is "phoe-be?" and maybe it's him! (Her?) hmm... here is the only other photo I got of it. I wasnÃ¢ÂÂt going to post it because the resolution is so poor but maybe it will still be informative in some way!
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tmff
10 years ago
The photo's coloring is washed out but that dark cap is all Eastern Phoebe. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page has a sound clip of an Eastern Phoebe's song that sounds precisely like what I'm used to hearing when they sing. It could be a useful resource for you. (Too difficult to attach a link from my phone.)
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claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
10 years ago
Eastern Phoebe Sounds on All About Birds Page

Claire
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tmff
10 years ago
Thanks, Claire!
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catherinet
10 years ago
I have a phoebe that is nesting in a mud nest at the top of our chimney. What a I notice about their call is that it's "Fee-Bee".........but the "bee" part is raspy.
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