danomaha's Journal
Asking for ideas on this bird I saw today at a local nature preserve.
My eBird Description:
"Grasshopper sparrow? Very dull-colored sparrow. In deciduous tree about 4 ft. above ground. Dark-ish crown- brown? Call was a few loud chatters. Gray-brown all over with pale streaks on side. Bill appeared heavy. No eyestripe, some dark auriculars."
Abbreviations used in this post:
CT: Couch's/Tropical
Tr: Tropical
Ck: Couch's
This afternoon I saw a CT kingbird in Nebraska. This post is my description of what I saw and how I eliminated other species.
Head Pattern: Black eyeline or "Mask" stretching bill to top of auriculars.
Bill: Heavier than Western, hard to estimate length
Body pattern: Yellow extended all the way from the belly to the bottom of the neck
Wing Pattern: Extensive yellow on underwing
Tail: Here's the problem. It has a deep notch in it- unlike a WEKI. But it was dark brown with faint white streaks on the outer tail- very faint.
Tr or Ck?
Well, this is really confusing. Definitely not a WEKI. It was perched on a wire, and had an evident notch in the tail. It had a black mask. The yellow reached the bottom of the neck.
A Tr would be a first state record- but a decent explanation of the dark tail.
A Ck would be a 4th state record.
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