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« Mystery Bird: Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina | Main | That Which I Sowed in Tears, I Reap in Joy: A Love Letter to my Beautiful Readers »
Topic Categories: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
Posted on: November 9, 2009 9:59 AM, by "GrrlScientist"
tags: House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 3 November 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Life Science
Education
Comments
Even though none of the distinctive back, head, or wing marks show in this pic, that bird just looks like a ruby-crowned kinglet to me.
Posted by: Russell | November 9, 2009 11:35 AM
hm. i am a bit worried about this image because you are not even in the correct family. i'll wait for a few more IDs (where'd everybody go??), and will add another image tomorrow to help you if necessary.
Posted by: "GrrlScientist" | November 9, 2009 12:18 PM
I'm not sure it's a Kinglet. Shouldn't the eye-ring be more prominent? Faint whitish supercilium meeting above the bill,
largish bill with what appears to be a horn-coloured lower mandible, I'm going for an immature female Pine Warbler. However as my record is not that good with these Texans I'm probably wrong again.
Posted by: Adrian | November 9, 2009 12:21 PM
Looks like it could be a wren. I wouldn't bet the house on it though. Just my first impression from the eye markings and the look he is giving the photographer.
Posted by: LadyMin | November 9, 2009 12:42 PM
yeah, I'd go with House Wren. Bill looks right and there's faint barring in the flanks. We can rule out a kinglet due to the lack of yellow feet.
Posted by: Colin | November 9, 2009 3:48 PM
What's the Latin for LBJ?
It's a wonderful photo for a mystery bird, though, isn't it?
Posted by: Bob O'H | November 9, 2009 4:48 PM
I'll go with House Wren as well. Winter Wren should show more barring on the flanks, as well as a more prominent supercilium behind the eye.
Posted by: psweet | November 9, 2009 5:16 PM
hmmm, a bit of a tough one here- I'm going for a wren also, a House Wren, Troglodytes aedon: greyish-brown upperparts, buff underparts, faint eyering, thin bill with blackish upper mandible and yellowish lower mandible, pinkish-grey legs... with 30 subspecies divided into five groups, that may be as far as I can go this time!
Posted by: David | November 9, 2009 5:22 PM
OK, it seems that there is a quite a bit of DNA evidence that has resulted in several changes to the taxonomy of House Wrens- based upon range, this is probably the Northern House Wren (still Troglodytes aedon) and one of two subspecies:
parkmanii - breeds southern Canada (British Columbia east to Western Ontario), south to extreme north-west Mexico (northern Baja California) and in the US to west Texas and western Kentucky; non-breeding from southwest & southern US (California and Texas), south to southern Mexico (south to Oaxaca); or
aedon - breeds southeast Canada (Ontario east to southern Quebec) and south in the US to Kentucky and Virginia; non-breeding southeast US (Carolinas south to Texas) and northeast Mexico.
Posted by: David | November 9, 2009 5:51 PM
Bob @ #6
Hippodamia convergens subspecies johnsonii?
Posted by: David | November 10, 2009 10:46 AM