Southern Cross (sort of) on a Southern California Bird.
March 16, 2012 4:47 PM Subscribe
Southern California Bird Identification: Body color that of a Robin's breast. Same size. Eye surrounded by white with black on top and bottom almost making they eye look like a cross. Neck had about 5 vertical black stripes that flared out at the bottom very elegantly. Nothing very unique about the overall shape of the bird, kind of generic, actually. About 5-6 inches tall.
The eye was what seemed so unusual. I don't think I have ever seen this bird before. It was in Acton, CA, high desert. I have looked on so cal bird sites, and am finding nothing like it. Any ideas? (didn't seem like a baby bird but could have been some sort of an adolescent)
The eye was what seemed so unusual. I don't think I have ever seen this bird before. It was in Acton, CA, high desert. I have looked on so cal bird sites, and am finding nothing like it. Any ideas? (didn't seem like a baby bird but could have been some sort of an adolescent)
Response by poster: You are much less amateur than me... It's about 2-3 times as big as a lark sparrow, and the markings on the eye were above and below. Also a bit rounder and not much other markings. (Kinda a puffed up sparrow with the stripes in the wrong direction and on the neck only.)
posted by Vaike at 5:29 PM on March 16, 2012
posted by Vaike at 5:29 PM on March 16, 2012
First, it's early spring, and many birds are still molting, so field marks might look funky.
Possibly a varied thrush? Though they don't really have eyerings and they're not fans of deserts (they are notorious wanderers).
Maybe some kind of thrasher? California or sage, perhaps. The California's bill is so curved that it would be hard not to notice, I think.
I'll keep thinking and googling. Right now I gotta go get a burrito.
posted by rtha at 5:33 PM on March 16, 2012
Possibly a varied thrush? Though they don't really have eyerings and they're not fans of deserts (they are notorious wanderers).
Maybe some kind of thrasher? California or sage, perhaps. The California's bill is so curved that it would be hard not to notice, I think.
I'll keep thinking and googling. Right now I gotta go get a burrito.
posted by rtha at 5:33 PM on March 16, 2012
Some possibilities - Cactus wren, immature thrasher (probably not red enough unless it was an out of range Brown Thrasher), California Towhee (red butt but not body), or Roadrunner (speckled)?
posted by hydrobatidae at 5:57 PM on March 16, 2012
posted by hydrobatidae at 5:57 PM on March 16, 2012
How about a Rustic Bunting? I used the wizard on whatbird.com--it spit out these possibilities if that one doesn't seem right.
posted by miratime at 6:21 PM on March 16, 2012
posted by miratime at 6:21 PM on March 16, 2012
whatbird.com is the bird identification site I use (their iPhone app is handy when you're outdoors). You select the location, size, shape, markings, etc, and it gives you possibilities for what bird it might be.
posted by erst at 6:27 PM on March 16, 2012
posted by erst at 6:27 PM on March 16, 2012
A Spotted Towhee? They're about that size and sort of act like a robin but hop around a lot more. I've found that browsing Flickr sets of birds tagged with the region where you found it can help narrow down the search to what it's not.
Was it on the ground or in a tree? Sometimes that's a good hint as to the behavior of the bird, narrowing down what it could be.
posted by fiercekitten at 8:36 PM on March 16, 2012
Was it on the ground or in a tree? Sometimes that's a good hint as to the behavior of the bird, narrowing down what it could be.
posted by fiercekitten at 8:36 PM on March 16, 2012
Response by poster: Turns out I do believe that it might have actually been a robin. I had no idea that they exist in the desert, although I am in an area with acres of trees and grass, so maybe this is an exception? It seemed that a robin would be so out of it's element here that I had automatically dismissed it.
Thanks everyone! I love all the links and am going to do some bird learning on our travels.
I will get better at this, I promise.
posted by Vaike at 8:27 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thanks everyone! I love all the links and am going to do some bird learning on our travels.
I will get better at this, I promise.
posted by Vaike at 8:27 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Excellent!
Robins live practically everywhere, or at least hang around for a bit as they pass through to somewhere greener. It might be on its migration (they're year-round birds in California, but some populations will migrate in a low-mileage kind of way) and decided your trees and green grass looked like a good rest stop.
And, you are already getting better - observation, study, practice, and a willingness to be wrong in public will all serve you well in birding. If there's a local Audubon or similar group near you, go on their walks as much as you can. It's way easier to learn field marks and stuff if you're looking at the bird while someone else describes what you're seeing.
posted by rtha at 1:34 PM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Robins live practically everywhere, or at least hang around for a bit as they pass through to somewhere greener. It might be on its migration (they're year-round birds in California, but some populations will migrate in a low-mileage kind of way) and decided your trees and green grass looked like a good rest stop.
And, you are already getting better - observation, study, practice, and a willingness to be wrong in public will all serve you well in birding. If there's a local Audubon or similar group near you, go on their walks as much as you can. It's way easier to learn field marks and stuff if you're looking at the bird while someone else describes what you're seeing.
posted by rtha at 1:34 PM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Possibly a Lark Sparrow?
posted by Squee at 5:12 PM on March 16, 2012