[texbirds] Potential Shiny Cowbird at Anahuac NWR

From: David Sarkozi <david@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: TexBirds <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2012 20:38:47 -0500

Today while doing the our Big Sit at Anahuac NWR we had a cowbird that
seems to be a potential Shiny Cowbird.

The bird was with a small flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds. It was
noticeably dark glossy with an all dark eye and and all dark head. It
did have lighter outer primaries and a few lighter tertials exactly as
depicted in the Sibley Guide for a molting brown-headed Cowbird, but
it did have the all dark head with no contrast between the head and
the back or breast at all. At the time I was unaware of the difference
in head shape of brown-headed and Shiny Cowbird did not note that at
all.

I've done some searching and I've found no online photos of Shiny
Cowbird in molt, but none of the images I can find of a Brown-headed
Cowbird in molt have a dark head.

The good news is Colin Shields did get a quick digiscope image of the
bird that may be usable.

So my question is, does anyone have any experience with a molting
Brown-headed Cowbird with a dark glossy looking head?

For what its worth we were on the Rookey overlook form the far south
end of the trail on the Skillern TRact.

-- 
David Sarkozi
Houston, TX
(713) 412-4409 twitter ID dsarkozi
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[texbirds] Potential Shiny Cowbird at Anahuac NWR

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