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Cardinalis cardinalis
it has a pointy feather on the top of the head that is confusing me. I'm not sure if there is a red or brown chevron on the chest. I only saw this bird for a few seconds.
I added the 2nd picture, again. It didn't add both pics the first time. Thanks Emma and Gail for all the ID help. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/north... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ca...
Spotted on Jun 23, 2011
Submitted on Jun 25, 2011
16 Comments
Ah...first we went around on what the bird was or wasn't, then we ID's that it is actually a juvenile cardinal, then we get to actually a male juvenile cardinal. Awesome community! Thanks for all the ID help folks. Keep it up!
@ Heather, We have a male here!
Thanks Malcolm!
I think the reddish brown patch on the throat suggests a young male as the female is more yellowish.
Gale, Emma and me all thought it was a Cardinal, but the beak was throwing us all for a tiny loop.
Whew vindicated though it was a wild guess.
They have a life span of 15 years. Yes 1 yr old cardinal does seem right.
Emma, I found one drawing of a female juvenile in one of my books and it does have a black bill. Do you think it is likely a 1 year old Cardinal? I have seen a pair of Cardinals nearby, but did not think they had babies that large at this time of the year.
Heather, I feel very strongly that this is a juvenile cardinal. A juvenile has a black beak and also that tuft on his head.
Phainopepla does not have a range in my area (Atlanta, Georgia, USA). It's a West coast bird and south of the border.
"Phainopepla" is similar to female cardinal or immature juvenile cardinal.
Check it out!
Galewhale, it's not a female cardinal because the beak is black. Thanks for the compliment Emma. I looked through the entire book I had and don't see a match that I can tell.
Heather , i like your spottings. The most fun is trying to identify the least amount of clues.
@galewhile, The female cardinal usually has an orange beak.
This one has a black beak.
After you added the second pic,it is not a quail for sure.
Check out a female cardinal.. if you scroll down it shows the plummage of males and females
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/north...
Emma, I don't normally add unfocused pictures, but this bird looked so different, I thought I would see if I could get an ID. I only got 2 shots. Does that help? THe first time, it only uploaded one for some reason.
Heather,can't see the bird at all. Do you have quails in Atlanta?
They sport a curved feather on the head!