5 replies to this topic

[leekei]

I would like help identifying a bird I saw in a Du Page County (Northern Illinois) Forest Preserve a few weeks ago. The bird was, from what I could see, completely black--a very velvety, matte black with no sheen or iridescence. The tail was like a mourning dove tail. Rounded and tapering to a point but narrower than a dove's tail. The main distinguishing feature of the bird was that the tip of every feather in the tail was white. This bird was somewhat smaller than a robin. It flew in front of me and landed in some shrubs/brush. At that point it started calling. The best I can describe the call was a short TWEE repeated every five or ten seconds. I have had no luck identifying this bird in books or on line. Help please!

[hbvol]

Sounds like a male Eastern Towhee

[BarnSwallow]

I thought towhee too. If you see it from the back, you might not realize that it's not completely black.

[leekei]

Thanks for the input. However the tail of a towhee is not like the tail on the bird I saw. The tail was like a mourning dove tail only slimmer--rounded and tapering to a point--and every feather in the black tail was tipped in white.

[TheBillyPilgrim]

Try Eastern Kingbird?

[Melissa :)]

With the black tail with a white tip, sounds like Eastern Kingbird.