Ok...so I believe Google helped me ID this as a zebra finch. Looks like it's native to Australia! Must be someone's escaped pet? Wonder how he's doing today? He's a long way from home here in NE FL.

Thanks! Yes, we have a large population of wild turkeys in the area but I have never seen one in the yard. I guess due to their increasing numbers they are beginning to frequent urbanized areas...I'll be watching (so will the retriever!). Thanks again, hortster

well, the horns were definitely more like the head of the lark, but you are right I would have noticed the specific markings of a mature male. Horned larks are not really in our area except rarely in the winter. Streaked larks are around but I have never seen one. Probably more likely would be juvenile house finch since I have oodles of finches. thanks

The "rational reasoning" behind the no possession of found feathers derives from the profuse feather trade that nearly eliminated a number bird species early in the 20th century. Bird feathers were used for womenÂs hats. Millions of birds were killed for their showy feathers. Totay, allowing folks to simply pick up molted hawk feathers from the wild and put them in their hats would promote the killing of hawks for the same purpose. It would not be possible to tell if a hawk was killed for some feathers in a personÂs possession, or if they were just found along the road. So, the law prohibits possession. Simple, understandable, and effective. The Migratory Bird Treaty is still the law. It protects not just living birds, but those dead, or even parts of dead birds, including feathers. Like it or not, itÂs the law. And there are "feather police," law enforcement agents of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. They enforce federal bird protection laws, including the Migratory Bird Treaty. They win just about every case they take to court. The law is very clear, and judges arenÂt too convinced that common citizens should be allowed to cavalierly disregard the law.