[wisb] Re: RFI:Finch ID
- From: Chris West <little_blue_birdie@xxxxxxx>
- To: <tcwood729@xxxxxxxxx>, "[Wisb]" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 17:27:40 -0600
Tom and all,
For reference purposes, Sid's photos are of a Purple Finch. The bird in Sid's
photos has a larger bill than would be expected on a House Finch, lack of any
streaking at all, brilliant red coloring all the way down through the chest,
flanks and belly, and, most importantly, has a brown line through the eye which
accentuates the red supercilium. I've found this combination of field marks to
be highly reliable when identifying Purple vs House Finch.
Happy Birding! --Chris W, Richland County Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi
Explorer Cruises
http://mississippiexplorer.com/chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/
http://www.nabirding.com/http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto
"The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first
material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the
composer; but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no
more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be
again."
(From William Beebe's "The Bird: Its Form and Function," 1906)
> From: tcwood729@xxxxxxxxx
> To: Wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [wisb] RFI:Finch ID
> Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 17:17:36 -0600
>
> Sidney Hamm's last post about the finch he photgraphed at Bong has me
> realizing I have a lot to learn about Finch ID.
> Because I live in the southern part of the state, I see very few Purple
> Finches during the year, and I'm usually looking up at them. Those of you
> who
> live in the northern tier of counties probably see them regularly at your
> feeders. Do any of the Purple Finches you see have as much brown on the
> crown and cheeks as the bird in Sidney's photo?
> The House Finches I see around here all have streaking on the underparts and
> this is a major field mark mentioned in the field guides. So, conversely,
> does anyone see House Finches with unstreaked underparts as seen on the
> photo?
> I find color to be the least useful ID mark with bird photos on my laptop.
> Depending on how I have the screen tilted I can make the bird look
> anywhere from the raspberry red of a Purple Finch to the brighter red of a
> House Finch. This is due to the characteristics of an LCD display.
> The bill looks large for a House Finch, but perhaps that is because
> Sidney's lens puts the bird right in our face. We can't see the tail notch
> which would help with the ID.
> Thanks in advance for any advice.
>
> Thomas Wood, Menomonee Falls, Waukesha County
>
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