A Gardeners Forum
Posted By: Deborah L. Thorny-New Bird - February 10th, 2007 at 08:50 PM
I saw a brown bird I've never seen before, in the parking lot at the mall.
I wonder if you know what it is.
It was brown with a darker brown ring around the eye. A long pointed tail. A long beak like a hummingbird's, but thicker of course, as the bird is bigger than a hummer.
The bird's size is bigger than a starling but smaller than a pigeon, and a slim body like a mockingbird.
This is the best description I can do.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 10th, 2007 at 10:48 PM
Ya got me, Deborah. It sounds like it is probably one of the Western Thrashers or Thrushes that we do not have in the East. It could also be one of the Western Wrens or perhaps even a Dove of some kind. (Did it look VERY masculine? laugh shocked )

Go to WhatBird.com. They have an online database that can help you identify over 900 species of birds in the U.S. and Canada. You just enter each pertinent feature of the bird you want to identify until it narrows your choices down from 900, to 4 or 5 species. I used your description to narrow it down to several species of Western Wrens and one species of Cowbird, none of which was a close match to your bird.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 11th, 2007 at 12:53 AM
OK, thanks, Thorny. I'll look.
It was different from the California thrasher you identified for me.
Bigger and chocolate brown rather than the gray-ish mockingbird color of the California thrasher.
So, I'm assuming you mean there's a whole group of various thrashers?
Posted By: Wrennie Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 11th, 2007 at 12:56 AM
lots of thrashers.
curve billed??
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 11th, 2007 at 12:58 AM
No, straight beak like a hummer.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 11th, 2007 at 04:31 AM
An immature Starling perhaps?
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 11th, 2007 at 05:49 AM
No, it was bigger than a starling.
Imagine a chocolate brown California thrasher but bigger, with a cocoa brown ring around the eye and a long, straight, dark beak.
Bigger than a parakeet, smaller than a cockatiel.
It was hanging out with starlings in the mall, but it wasn't a starling.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 11th, 2007 at 08:17 PM
Deborah, Try Googling a Wrentit. that MIGHT be your bird.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 12th, 2007 at 04:01 PM
I looked-the wrentit in the photos look smaller, plumper and have some gray.
The bird I saw was long, sleek-to-slim, and chocolate brown.
The pictured wrentit is close, but I'll Google a few more to look for a match.
Actually, I "Dogpile"-love that search engine ! It's the only one I use.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 20th, 2007 at 11:23 PM
I saw the bird again, actually several of them in the WalMart parking lot.
I stopped to look and watch.
The bird is the shape and build of a crow, but about 1/4 the size of a crow.
Yellow eyes.
It is definitely brown, no gray, and has the cocoa ring around the eye.
It makes a sound (over and over and over) like a shrill peacock's cry, but the cry is shorter.
What in the world is this bird???
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 20th, 2007 at 11:50 PM
I have no idea... but you do a great job describing him!!!!
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 21st, 2007 at 12:02 AM
Try Cowbird or Grackle. Yelloweyes and screechy call sounds like a Grackle. Or perhaps a Rusty Blackbird.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 21st, 2007 at 12:04 AM
Or Brewers Blackbird!
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 22nd, 2007 at 08:51 PM
Nope-I looked up all of them.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 PM
I'm stumped. See if you can get a picture and poast it.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 22nd, 2007 at 11:53 PM
MMMMM-MMM! grinnnn "Poasted" pictures! My favorite treat. Especially with toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate!
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 05:56 AM
I really wish I could identify this bird.
It's a charming and attractive one.
Like a small brown crow with pretty eyes and an enchanting call.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 05:58 AM
Thanks, Jane-I try ! shocked
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 05:00 PM
Deborah, I went to WhatBird.com and entered all the info you gave me about your bird and it narrowed the species down from 999 species to ONE Single Species that could fit your bird......the CACTUS WREN. Try that and see if it could be it.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 05:41 PM
Not it. Not even close to this mystery bird.
I appreciate your efforts though !
It's basically a little brown crow with yellow eyes. No white anywhere.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 05:57 PM
Is this your bird, Deborah?

[Linked Image]
Posted By: penny in ontario Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 06:42 PM
Wow....thats pretty!!!!
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 07:08 PM
YES !!!!!!!!!!!
Thorny, I could kiss you !!!!!!!!
What is it and how did you find it??????
Can't wait to hear !!!!!!!!!
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 09:33 PM
Your bird is a FEMALE Great-Tailed Grackle. I knew that the only crowlike birds with yellow eyes were Grackles so I looked up the Grackles in your area and saw that the only kind you have in Southern Cali are the Great Tailed Grackles. In many members of the Grackle/Blackbird family, ONLY the males are black. The Females are a duller gray or brown, so I Google Image Searched Great_Tailed Grackles and looked for a picture of a female and BINGO! There was the EXACT bird you had described to me. WE have the Common Grackles in Tennessee, but NOT the Great-Tailed Grackle.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 11:19 PM
Thorny, you're my hero !!!!!!!
That's it !!!! I looked at WhatBird and saw her.
Thanks sooooooooo much !!!!!!
It will be fun seeing the birds again and knowing now what they are !!!!!!! clp clp clp
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 23rd, 2007 at 11:40 PM
You can also listen to the sounds each bird makes on WhatBird.com. WhatBird is a relatively new site but with some great features.
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 25th, 2007 at 02:09 AM
The sound feature doesn't work.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 25th, 2007 at 02:25 AM
Maybe, you don't have the right player, Deborah. I use Winamp. It's a FREE download at Winamp.com
Posted By: Deborah L. Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 25th, 2007 at 03:06 AM
OK, thanks.
Posted By: Thornius Re: Thorny-New Bird - February 25th, 2007 at 03:27 AM
It has the best quality sound of ALL the media players and is especially good for MP3's and other music.
© A Gardeners Forum [Archive]