ML644432064

観察結果の詳細

Bright immature male. This beautiful bird was spotted sitting motionless about 12 ft. off the ground in a vine tangle on the forest edge, as a flock of 15+ cardinals and many smaller woodland passerines were stirred up by my playing calls of Eastern Screech-Owl. Initial impression was a chunky bird (about cardinal sized) with very bright orange-ochre color to the underparts, a bold and complex head pattern, and heavy white spots on the wings. We lost it for a few minutes, but then re-located the bird near us in the shady lower midstory and again had a chance to study it. Key features noted were: Entire underparts from chin to lower abdomen were rich bright orange-ochre in color, a bit paler on lower abdomen. No markings on the underparts were visible in the field. Very bold head pattern with black crown, long white supercilium, dusky auriculars (entire "cheek patch" looked blackish and really contrasted with the white above and below it), and a broad white wedge-shaped moustachial stripe sharply delineated from orange chin. Very heavy bill looked grayish, the upper mandible darker than the lower. The wings had two wing-bars consisting of rows of large white spots and there were large white spots on the tertials. Upperparts were heavily-streaked with thick brown and black streaks. My poor photos reveal a few very faint fine streaks on the flanks that I could not see in the field, but the deeply-colored breast was unstreaked. I am hoping that Ryan Middlebrook's photos are better than mine! I am aware of the pitfalls of Pheuticus identification, but everything about this bird screamed Black-headed and not Rose-breasted or a hybrid.