ML385063301

Age and sex

Adult Male - 1

Behaviors

Foraging or eating

Observation details

Lifer! Continuing rarity found by homeowner Kaki Burress (thank you, Kaki!). Thanks also for the directions and updates by John Sullivan and Noah Strycker. Small passerine reminiscent of dark-eyed junco in size, posture and feeding style. Seen feeding in seed patch on paver stone patio covered by leaves. Reviewing my photos and recounting what I saw, this is one of the most difficult birds to describe in terms of coloration and pattern because there's so much going on -- a truly beautiful and interesting bird in my albeit limited experience. Just take, for instance, the eye ring: the front half is a solid dark semicircle while the back half is divided into two buff-colored quarters, top and bottom, divided by a dark gray/black notch at the midpoint. Legs dark maroon, with anisodactyl arrangement of three tarsi in front, one hallux in back. Its bicolored bill slightly longer, larger, more conical than a junco's, orange-yellow from base to mid-point, fading to black at tip. Overall coloration described as "calico," with hues of black, gray, brown, buff, orange, yellow and white. Feather color black above bill, fading to gray/orange/black mottling from crown to nape. Two faint black lines visible on either side of crown running from crown to nape, then darker from nape to top edge of scapulars. Slightly peaked crown in certain photos while flat and curved in others, indicating bird can peak crown with certain stimuli similar to a ruby-crowned kinglet. Scaly black and orange scapulars. A black line extends on both sides from behind bill, under eye, and back up, connecting to the notch at the back midpoint of the eye ring. Collar is gray above scapulars on either side of black lines on nape running to the chest. Under bill, throat is faded watercolor orange increasing in intensity farther down the chest to the midpoint. Orange stops at the midpoint of the chest, replaced by white from mid-chest to vent. Undertail coverts faded orange to white. Axillary photo shows yellow spot just under wing butt/wrist. Otherwise, underwing is white, fading to gray from midpoint to tips. White wing bar visible on primary coverts. Yellow edges of central part of primaries also visible in axillary (wings up) photo. In profile photos, this appears as yellow streaking toward tips of primaries. Flanks below wing and above chest/belly faded watercolor orange with black, circular spotting. Back includes black and orange wing bars on greater secondary coverts(?). Tail feathers black with white borders.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D500

Lens

200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

ISO

800

Focal length

500 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

1820 pixels x 1213 pixels

Original file size

1.93 MB