[obol] Re: Possible Bronzed Cowbird ?
- From: Shawneen Finnegan <shawneenfinnegan@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx OBOL" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 31 May 2013 12:45:00 -0700
All:
This doesn't look like either a Bronzed or a Shiny to me. The bill shape
doesn't look like Bronzed, which is longer and thick at the base. They also
tend to look fairly flat-headed, though this can change with head position.
Overall Bronzed are a chunkier and even young males have somewhat of a
ruff/cowl per BNA, though not as prominent as an adult.
According to BNA the breeding cycle of the northern subspecies of Bronzed is
that they lay eggs between mid-April and the end of July with young from late
April to early August. If this were a bird of the year, it would still be in a
plumage similar to young Brown-headeds which is brown and streaky. So if it
were a one-year old male the eye would be brownish-orange or orange-brown by
now, similar to adult females. Adult males during the breeding season have
crimson red eyes, which earned them their former common name "Red-eyed"
Cowbird, which dull down during the non-breeding season.
During the period when I lead 3-4 tours per spring to the Dry Tortugas, we
would see Brown-headed and Shiny Cowbirds side-by-side out at Fort Jefferson.
Shiny Cowbirds look more like a Brewer's Blackbird in structure. They are not
quite as thick-necked and their bills tend to be less conical/longer than
Brown-headed.
There is a Facebook thread on the ABA site going on about this bird (which Alan
Contreras started). Several have suggested it is a hypermelanistic Brown-headed
Cowbird, which makes the most sense to me.
Shawneen Finnegan
Portland, OR
On May 31, 2013, at 11:24 AM, Larry McQueen wrote:
> How about a Shiny Cowbird, first-year? The bird seems to have a black head
> and underparts, brown upper. The underpart plumage has worn off the brown
> tips of the subadult and retained the rest of this plumage. It has a dark
> eye.
>
> Larry
>
>
> On May 30, 2013, at 10:47 PM, Jeff Gilligan wrote:
>
>> I think so…...If it is it has to be a young male moulting to adult plumage.
>> If it is, I think it is the aenus race rather than the form found in
>> Arizona with which I am more familiar. Maybe we are both missing something,
>> but I have no idea what it could be otherwise. Jeff
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On May 30, 2013, at 9:59 PM, Greg Gillson <greg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> Possible Bronzed Cowbird at Benson Pond on 5/28?
>>>
>>> http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/image/150519360/original
>>>
>>> Quick glimpse and pic while looking for waterthruh. Forgot about it until
>>> going through photos tonight.
>>>
>>> Greg
>>>
>>>
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