Monday, January 10, 2011

Help Wanted

Photos by my sister Mary, taken in Virginia over Christmas:


Wanted: experienced bird ID expert to help with this (probably oh-so-easy) identification! My first thought was female bunting, probably Indigo, but I'm just not satisfied that's right. Click on the pics to make them huge.

Help!

UPDATE: John from DC Birding Blog mentioned my other thought, Eastern Towhee--the shape is a dead match--but the coloring is so subdued, and there's no white on the belly. Sibley shows the male and female towhees with darker brown/black plumage, darker orange on the sides of the belly, and white on the belly itself. Is this some sort of pale juvenile?

5 comments:

John B. said...

It looks a lot like an Eastern Towhee.

dguzman said...

That's what I thought, John, but no white on the belly and the orange is so subdued. This photo was taken, I should've said, in Virginia over Christmas.

Jen Sanford said...

I have no suggestions besides the towhee, but it's a very cool-looking bird regardless!

dguzman said...

Well, Jen and John, Mary told me that she could see a white belly on the bird -- Eastern Towhee, lots of sunlight.

John B. said...

I can see a little bit of white around the vent area in the first photo.