[birdky] RPT: Bewick's wren at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville

I saw what I believe to be a Bewick's wren INSIDE the South Wing A area of
the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville this morning.  The bird was
actively flitting about by a pay phone, apparently finding interesting bits
of something to pick at.  

The wren had a distinct white supercilium that seemed to flare or turn up
slightly at the end.  Dull brown back without rufous tones that I could
detect.  Light gray underneath without buffy color.  Lighter, whitish
throat.  (The bird was by large windows, and was well-lit by a combination
of reflected sunlight and - I assume - fluorescent indoor lights.)  Bill
slightly downcurved.  Long tail.  I did not see any white in the outer tail
feathers.  The bird did not vocalize while I observed it.

I was at a conference, so had no binoculars or camera, but I was 6-12 feet
away for the 30+ seconds I got to study the bird.  It flew quite a distance
into another area and disappeared into a side alcove.  (Made me wonder if
the bird had been there awhile and was familiar with the area.)  The huge
area it flew into had open floor-to-ceiling doors, and it may have gone
outside.  Despite multiple attempts both inside and outside the building, I
was not able to relocate the bird this afternoon.

After coming home and reviewing Sibley, I'm still comfortable calling it a
Bewick's wren, based primarily on the color of both upper and lower body and
by relative tail length.  I don't know if this is a reliable difference in
the two species, but the bird also had more pointed wings like Sibley's
illustration of the Bewick's, and its body was slender.  

I see Bewick's wren fairly often in Texas on my parents' back porch, but
this is my first one in Kentucky in years.

One of the more unexpected bird encounters I've had.

Ben Yandell
Louisville

Other related posts: