Mystery Bird: Northern Rough-Winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis

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[Mystery bird] Northern Rough-Winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis, photographed at the Katy Prairie, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]

Image: Joseph Kennedy, 3 April 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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Hmmm... Looks a lot like an eastern Phoebe, which loves to hang out on power lines. But the bill seems a bit on the small side. But none of the other flycatchers seem to fit.

I'm going to call that a rough-winged swallow, based on the "buffy throat", "no contrasting markings", and the lack of long wingtip projection (quotes from Sibley). I'd prefer to see less of a notch on the tail, but I'll chalk that up to how the bird happens to be holding its tail feathers.

A swallow, not a flycatcher. Probably a rough winged swallow.

But. I'm not happy about the shadow on the throat and the dark spot on the chest. Still, I think a bank swallow at that time of year would have a much more distinctive breast band.

A Bank Swallow would indeed have a distinct band breast band.

Cave Swallows normally have dark-centered vent feathers (undertail coverts). This bird has pure white vent feathers.