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Please help me ID this bird.  It did not have the red crest or mask of a cardinal.  It was at a seed feeder tray in my backyard-standard lot size but with 8 evergreens,  3 crabapple trees and multiple bushes around the perimeter of the yard.  It was about the size of a robin, reddish-orange body, black cap, wings looked like dusky red.  I think it had an orange bill.  Can anyone help?  Ann

Parts of your description (not the wings & bill, though) sound a little like Baltimore oriole. Any chance of a photo?

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Baltimore_Oriole.html 

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"I put it down. you gotta pick it up." —Thelonious Monk

Did it have a black cap, or a black head?

I bet this is the same bird as the posts re "Help! Black head, red/pink body, ORANGE-YELLOW bill.... "   The one I saw in Atlanta, Georgia last week had a solid black head down to its neck where the feathers became light red, somewhat orange and all of the rest of its body including wings was that light red-orange color.  It was as if it were wearing a black hood over a red-orange body.  And it had a bright yellow bill.  Very striking and pretty, with the yellow bill, black head, and red-orange body.  It was about 8 feet away on a tree limb outside our window so we got a good look at it for several minutes.  About the size of a cardinal, robin or jay, maybe a little larger and more stocky. What is it?

As I said in the "Help! Black head, red/pink body, ORANGE-YELLOW bill.... " thread, it sounded like a European Goldfinch. However, this bird doesn't sounds as similar. Look at some images of European Goldfinches, and see if they match.

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Art Thread

Hi-it was definitely a black cap only.  That's what threw me-I'd never seen that before.  Ann

Hard to say, but it sounds a little like an escaped Orange Bishop.

http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/gallery/bishop-orange.htm 

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Joseph Morlan
Fall Birding Classes in San Francisco start October 28

I have also sighted a "red bird with a black cap" in West Virginia along the Ohio River.  At first I thought I was looking at a cardinal without a crest.  It was feeding in my bird feeder.  It has returned once.  I am waiting with my camera hoping to get a picture.  none of my bird books have any ID similar.  help!

I was so happy to get this picture to post...I'm guessing something in a security setting was blocking me, I forgot to let you know where I saw it...This week Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC

I just foung this...

http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=22883 

 they say...

Your bird is a male northern cardinal with parasite problems, which is very common among cardinals. The head feathers fall out, and the skin beneath is dark. The feathers will grow back, and the cardinal will survive. Many people are asking the same question about this strange-looking bird.

just had red,red bird with black head under back yard feeder. little larger than cardinal- couldn't get camera fast enough.  Has anyone been able to identify. it was seen Fairfax, Virginia this afternoon.

My wife and I have been seeing the same bird here along the Mississippi in Iowa. Looks bigger than a cardinal. Coloring on body is different also. I would sure like to get an ID.

Thanks for the photo.  This is definitely the bird I saw at my bird feeder this morning, in the Raleigh, NC area.  First thought it was a cardinal until I looked at it with some binoculars and saw the black cap.  The beak looked larger, but if feathers are missing that would explain the larger appearance.

After Checking my Peterson Field Guide for Eastern Birds, I thought I'd found a new bird. Glad to hear that a parasite took it's feathers but will recover.

 

Thanks so much for identifying this bird!  I've been looking everywhere for it, to no avail.  For those of you keeping track of where this bird is having the parasite problem, I have one in my backyard in Columbus, MS.