1 reply to this topic

[goofy166]

Yellow-headed Blackbird

[Rockhopper]

The article doesn't do the real thing justice - I was trying to ID the group of six that live around me. The snippet of their sound that you have doesn't fully capture the bizarre "graaaawk" call, or the subtle "cuckoo-ish" noises they make as they communicate (they sound like some fascinating cuckoo-clock/sick dinosaur amalgam). Plus, I'd call their primary colour charcoal-grey, at least those I've spotted in Eastern Idaho. Their size, too, is definitely not a "medium" - you've classed a Magpie as "large" and these birds have the Magpie beat!

I found it rather difficult to find this particular ID, as nothing I searched matched - until I finally just browsed by location. I suppose it's possible that these aren't fully Yellow-Headed Backbirds I'm seeing, but some cross-breed. But the call you've recorded is spot-on (just not top-quality), and so is their habitat (I only see them around standing water).

Something that would help in ID'ing ANY bird: underside photos or drawings and a search tool by underside characteristics - like the white wing bars that show up on these guys - but only from the underside. The "flapping" image you have doesn't quite cover that - and most birds I see, I'm usually getting a pretty good look at their under side!

Thanks for a great site!