6 replies to this topic

[Woody Goomsba]

This bird showed up at our bird feeder in SeaTac, WA on May 18, 2012. We have looked through books, websites and even asked our local know-it-all neighbor for information as to what type of bird this is. We are stumped. We do not think this is a local bird, but we could be wrong. Does anybody know the name of this bird?

Attached Files

•  Unidentified Bird 02.JPG   233.76K   56 downloads
•  Unidentified Bird 01.JPG   168.25K   89 downloads
•  Unidentified Bird 00.JPG   168.28K   85 downloads
•  Unidentified Bird 03.JPG   184.03K   57 downloads

[Sparky the Cuttlefish]

Yup, it's a young male Red-winged Blackbird, which are native to your area. Welcome to Whatbird! Nice shots.

[BarnSwallow]

Agree with young red-winged blackbird.

[Woody Goomsba]

Thanks much for your replies. Your answer make sense as we thought once considered it closest to a red-winged blackbird. We did not have a picture of an immature red-winged blackbird so got thrown off.

[MWM]

Confirm red-winged blackbird (red is sometimes hidden or almost absent on some birds).

[hawkhenries]

I'm wondering~

How old do you all think this bird is? 2nd year plummage? How many years before the red/yellow feathers come in?

[psweet]

This is a 2nd year bird -- it hatched last year. By next year, it'll look normal. The red and yellow feathers are already in, although they have some dark markings on them. They're being mostly covered by the scapulars, which the adults will frequently do as well. You can tell the age by the pale edging on the back and secondaries.