Can anyone identify this bird? It and another one were foraging on one of our trees in the shade garden. It had a rufous cap, a buff belly, and a greyish brown back. It didn’t have any speckles or barring that I could see. Its legs and bill were black. I tried looking in a bird book but couldn’t find anything that matched it.
*It’s a little smaller than a sparrow, with a longer beak; it wasn’t very timid or nervous while it browsed. It struck me as being round and fat with a relatively large head compared to its body as opposed to being lanky. Its cap wasn’t bright red but was a reddish brown compared to the rest of it.
**I think it’s a bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
2 responses so far ↓
1 Christina // May 25, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Say’s Phoebe? Western Kingbird? In my Peterson guide I was surprised to see in the WK illustration that it has a little red cap — I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that in the WKs I’ve seen around. The ones I’ve seen aren’t as bright yellow as the guide indicates either, more of a buff.
What approximate size was it (wren, sparrow, mockingbird, jay, crow?) Tail up or down when perching? Short triangular seed-eating beak or longer, narrow insect eating beak? Any notable behaviors?
2 julia // Jun 3, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Hi Steph, the red on the head and long bill isn’t typical of the bushtit. I’m wondering if it might be a Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata). The orange crown is typically very faint. It’s nearing the end of their nesting season.
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