Here’s an easy birding quiz to warm up this cold New England weekend. (I shouldn’t say it’s easy. I wouldn’t have known it when I first starting birding.)
Two hints:
So what it is it?
A female Common Yellowthroat seen at Terrywile Park in Danbury, Conn, Sept. 2016.
Pat yourselves on the back because the selection with the most votes was the bird in question. The photo is of a Common Yellowthroat. The trick was that it is a female bird seen in the fall. When most people think of Common Yellowthroats they think of the male with its handsome masked face. Like many bird species, the female Common Yellowthroat is more drably plumaged than the male. Good job everyone!
Thanks for playing along with my latest birding quiz posted yesterday.
Here’s the answer … it’s a
female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
I told you it looked nothing like its male counterpart (in color anyway).
I also suggested you look at the “bulky bill,” or in this case its “grosbeak.”
Many field guides show only the male in breeding plumage, therefore making the identification of females or nonbreeding birds nearly impossible. Get a good field guide that shows all the various plumages of birds.
Below is the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak striking a similar pose. Quite a difference, huh. Good example of sexual dimorphism (when males and female have different physical characteristics.)
Photo by Chris Bosak A Rose-breasted Grosbeak visits a homemade platform feeder in Danbury, Conn., on May 6, 2016.
Yes, my homemade backyard feeder did it again, drawing in another interesting bird.
So here’s a quick bird identification quiz. Seasoned birders will get it immediately. Intermediate birders may take a second, but will eventually get it. Beginning birders, if they haven’t seen one before, may be surprised at the answer (which is coming up tomorrow morning.)
Do you know it already? Awesome.
Need a hint? That’s fine, too. Here are a few hints:
It’s not a big sparrow.
It looks nothing likes its male counterpart.
Look at the bulky bill.
Send your guesses (or requests for more hints) to bozclark@earthlink.net, or just lock in your guess in your head and wait for the answer tomorrow.
Thanks for playing along.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Pied-billed Grebe dips its bill into the water at a pond in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.
Here’s the answer to the latest birding quiz. Thanks for playing along.
The answer is a Pied-billed Grebe. That was the answer that received the most votes, so good job to all my readers!
This one was a bit tricky because one of the most telling field marks of the Pied-Billed Grebe is the dark ring around its bill. In this photo, the portion of the bill with the ring is under water. A full view of the bird is below.
Thanks again for supporting http://www.birdsofnewengland.com
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Pied-billed Grebe swims in a pond in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Two Brown Creepers cling to the bottom of an oak tree in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 2016.
Here’s the photo again with arrows pointing to the birds. Most of you were able to pick out the two birds and, yes, as many of you also suggested, it is two Brown Creepers. It’s a fairly unusual sight to see one Brown Creeper, but two on the same tree is very unusual. I guess it helps that there was a suet feeder above dropping crumbs onto the base of the tree. It also helped that it was about 0 degrees that day and birds were on the lookout for whatever food they could find.
This wasn’t a particularly challenging quiz as the birds stuck out more than usual as their white bellies were exposed. Below is another photo of a Brown Creeper, showing just how well these brown birds blend in with their surroundings. Good camo, for sure.
Thanks again for playing along.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Brown Creeper clings to an oak tree in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 2016
Photo by Chris Bosak
Some birds are experts when it comes to camouflage. Is that the case here or are there no actual birds in the photo? Leave a comment with what you see and how many (if any)?
I’ll post the answer in the next day or two. Thanks for playing along.
Thanks again for playing along with this “birding” quiz. Did you get it right?
Let’s see. Click below for the full photo. Continue reading
Birds of New England.com 