ML153556091
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Unknown age, Unknown sex - X
Media notes
Left bird is typical "brownie" either female or first-year male. Right bird could be male but coloring is pale yellow/orange, not the raspberry red expected for a male, much less extensive (seems to be limited to head and rump with just a hint on the back), and still has heavy dark streaks like female or first-year male. Have seen this kind of coloring in House Finch males. Could be unusual female or a first-year male acquiring some color prematurely. Birds of North America Online species account has two photos of a yellow variant which is somewhat like this bird. Captioning indicates it is diet related and not part of transition from first-year to second-year male. But those birds show much more yellow than this bird. Also, raspberry-colored males do not have the dark streaking below found on this bird. So, is this a genetic anomaly or diet deficiency?
Observation details
One male heard singing. One possible first-year male or anomalous female, see photos, showed weak yellow/orange coloring where raspberry red should be and much less extensive. Could be genetic or diet deficiency. Birds of North America Online species account has two photos of a yellow variant which is somewhat like this bird.
Technical information
- Original file size
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