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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.
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PZ Myers 11.19.2009
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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