Bird ID Help, please.

[Pat]

NS, It is possible if it was a mutant or someone had died its belly bright red-orange. Punk bluebird? The western bluebirds I have seen do NOT have bull bright red-orange on the breast. The X-Bird has as much of its breast colored as a robin but the color is much brighter/more saturated.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Rob, Sorry, all those and more were suggested by the previously posted web sites but none are close. We have two barn swallow nests at our house now and although they are very pretty birds they arren't close to the coloration of the X-Bird.

The X-Bird is virtually all blue on the back and red-orange on the front, eats seeds but doesn't perch on the feeder, eats seed scattered on the ground under the feeders. Swallows eat bugs.

We also have painted buntings (which I have named SHERBERT BIRDS due to their coloration) but their coloration is not remotely similar to the X-Bird. The X-Bird has no large green patches like the sherbert bird.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Jack, I call them feathered mud daubers. Pretty birds. They have a distinctive deep V'd tail which distinguishes them easily in flight as well as a very easily recognized flight characteristic and they have a wide (better to catch bugs with my dear) based beak.

The X-Bird doesn't have a deep V tail or a wide base beak and eats seeds instead of bugs. I know in bird ID that close doesn't count but if I were awarding points on general appearance the barn swallow would be the closest in size and appearance of what we have aroud here even though it is easily disqualified for several reasons.

Both my wife and I saw the X-Bird several times, independently and when we compared notes there were no points of dissagreement.

I have never seen a barn swallow nest on the ground or spend much time there. The only time I have seen them "at the surface" has been at a pond getting mud or skiming low over a pond "snatching" water from the surface.

The bird ID software on some of the sites even suggested the belted kingfisher which is like confusing a C-5A with a J-3 Cub.

The X-Bird doesn't just have "some" red-orange on the underside/belly/breast IT IS ALL BRIGHT RED-ORANGE over a large portion like the robin but much much brighter.





[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[RobS]

Yeah, I'm thinking mutant as well. The colorations you describe could be a hormonally raged bluebird trying his best to attract a mate but the eating habits are odd. Bluebirds will most definitely perch and ours have never eaten off the ground. Maybe the same hormones have the little guys diet wacked out?

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[JazzDad]

The belly colour is typically not as you described, but how about a scrub jay?

[Pat]

Rob, Either that or it could be all those atomic tests! We saw a Ladder backed Woodpecker at the feeder today. Where most birds gently and gingerly reach into a small hole in the feeder and extract seeds gently... the ladder back pecked away it the feeder hole like he was drilling into a tree trunk to bet a bug. Cute littel dude.

Saw another painted bunting feeding on the ground today under one of the feeders. My wife always scatters seed on the ground for our little friends who prefer that to perching. As a result one of the several back yard bunnies feeds beneath the one feeder too. He likes his seeds.

Havent seen an X-Bird for a few days now.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Jazz, Sorry dude but way out of spec. Not even a hint of red-orange and way bigger. The X-Bird is probably about the size of or a little smaller than a tufted titmouse.

A hoax might be fun. Just before the annual bird census you could bait and net a huge supply of basically light collored non-descript birds and air brush them with non-toxic colors and release them. It might not reach the levels of publicity that the fakers of crop circles have but still would likely make the 6PM news.

P.S. The X-Bird , to the best of my belief is NOT a hoax, at least as far as we know.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Bird]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
My wife always scatters seed on the ground for our little friends who prefer that to perching.

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I've never had to scatter any on the ground myself. The birds scratch enough out that I sometimes use a rake to scatter the pile under the feeder. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

And Pat, I've got a bird problem and identifying the little sucker is only part of the problem. For several months now, it seems a bird (or birds) are roosting at the top of our front door. My wife has not been happy about the bird manure on the door handle, on the glass, and on the carpet in front of the door. And now it appears that it (or they) are building a nest. And neither of us has ever seen a bird in that entryway until a few minutes ago as I was going out to take the attached picture. I only got a quick glimpse of what "appeared" to be a very small, black bird with long, narrow wings. It was incoming, so I quickly went out another way and went around the house to see if I could get another look at it and it was already gone. Now that "ledge" at the top of the door is barely one inch wide including the quarter round across the top. I don't see how anything more than a mud dauber could build a nest there. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[Bird]

And my wife says she just cleaned the carpet in front of the door yesterday. And already . . ..

[Pat]

Bird, It looks like the beginnings on a barn swallow nest to me. I call them feathered mud daubers. They are very persistent. You need to breeak up their nesting atempt and maybe wash the mud off at least every few days (couple times a week.) If y don't stop the nesting then you'll have a clutch of eggs hatching into more feathered mud daubers with their in-born GPS zeroed in on your house and they will accurately return to raise their families there.

I would hate to have to hurt them so constant vigilance and nest destruction is the only proactive approach I know. Just know they are very persistent and will keep you busy knocking down and washing away the starts of their nest. The good news is that if you prevent their successful nesting yo have deterred a new generation that wiold be programmed to return to your house year after year.

They are beautiful birds and super agile flyers that eat prodigious quantities of bugs B U T I can't handle the mud and guano so I have a length of 2x2 to break up their nesting attempts. Don't let them nest in more inconspicuous places on or your house as the young will be programmed to return to your house and may not choose an inconspicuous location next year.

Again, I love them but decry their making such a mess. If only the'd nest somewhere else I'd be happy since I love to watch their arial antics.

In flight one of the unmistakable characteristics is a deeply V'd tail which conclusively ID's them as Barn Swallows.

I suggest that knocking down the nests regulary prior to completion and egg laying is the best humane approach.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]