Can you ID this bird? (bad photo)

14 years ago

Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? This is not my nestbox or photo. This photo was passed from person to person to ID and so I have no idea what part of the country the photo was taken.

{{!gwi}}

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Comments (5)

erictammy
Original Author
14 years ago
The wing pattern looks wren-ish but it isn't the shape of a wren. It could be a rough-winged swallow accept the barring on the wings and I don't think the wings are long enough. It's a photo from a friend, of a friend, of a friend so I have no idea where it's from. Any thoughts?
Dante1709
14 years ago
It's a European starling..They are invasive, kill other bird nestlings and their nest should be removed.They aren't protected by law as they aren't native and cause harm to other cavity nesters..

Here are some links to prevent them from nesting and to repel them :
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Starlings
http://www.sialis.org/starlingbio.htm
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex729
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Thanks for the lead, but I'm still not sure. I looked at 3 different photos of All Together and they all looked different! The one at C&T Iris patch looks like a bitone; the one at Dave's has similar color to mine but much more rounded shape; the one at DVIS has similar shape to mine, but seems to be a much truer lemony color --so who knows! None of them mention blooming season. I got this at an iris club sale. I should probably bring the picture to the next club sale and see if anyone can identify it.
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Comments (2)
A lot of guesswork here but, based on the color description of the bird, I'd start with Red-bellied Woodpecker and Northern Flicker. Maybe even give Yellow-bellied Sapsucker a whirl. All three are woodpeckers; they have a distinctive look and behavior (electronic sound, not so much, IMO). If not a woodpecker then.......the only birds I can think of that I'd personally describe as having an "electronic" sounding call would be the Blue Jay and maybe the Eastern Kingbird. Blue Jays obviously have no red, and Eastern Kingbirds only show a red crown patch when highly agitated. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are itty bitty, never sit still, rarely show their red crown, and don't sound electronic. A female Northern Cardinal would flick her tail and meet the physical description from above, but I don't think they sound electronic. Perhaps a slightly metallic warning call but, then again, I don't want to assume folks don't know a Cardinal when they see it (they are so common). Perhaps give House Finch and Purple Finch a look, but eh......not so electronic sounding, really. It's tough to make a good guess without a better description of the call and the bird. This post was edited by TMFF on Mon, Jun 17, 13 at 15:01
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Can you ID this bird?
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Comments (4)
Thanks for the info and the video. That is exactly what we saw. I'll have to go and look up the info on it on the Internet. First time we've seen this type of bird here. The beak on it is so unusual and it walked funny with almost a bobbin to its step when walking on the grass. The one I posted the picture of is the one we first saw and then as I was going to walk around the porch I noticed something very small on the walkway. A smaller version of the one in the photo, huddled and I noticed it was injured and moved it into our flower bed. It was bleeding so I am assuming something got to it. We also have many different types of wildlife around here. We felt so bad for it but I guess it is mother natures way of balancing things out. Thanks for the ID. Julia
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erictammy
Original Author
14 years ago
I am very familiar with starlings. I have martin housing and 8 bluebird/tree swallow boxes. I trap starling and HOSP. EUST never crossed my mind. Thanks for the suggestion. But I'm not convinced that this is a starling.
Here's a lightened photo.The beak belongs to the baby. Could it just be a HOWR?
{{!gwi}}
Dante1709
14 years ago
Assuming it's a bluebird box, the hole is usually 6 inches above the floor..That would mean the bird measures about 6 inches.House wrens are generally 4-5 inches long..Bewick's wrens are also 5 inches, however, Carolina wrens are 6-7 inches...

It's body does look wren like, now that it's lightened up, and it looks larger as well..Probably is a Carolina wren.
alan_la
14 years ago
It's one of the Wrens, Not a Starling.

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Can you ID this bird? (bad photo)

Comments (5)

erictammy
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Dante1709

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Can you ID this bird? (bad photo)

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erictammyOriginal Author

Dante1709

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erictammyOriginal Author

Dante1709

alan_la

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erictammy
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