What kind of bird is this?

[OneGirlWolfPack]

I was out doing yard work when I felt like something was watching me. I look up and see this guy on the bird feeder. lol! He looked so awkward in there with his giant feet and beak. He's different than the regular birds. There's something aggressive about him. The way he watched me was odd. His feathers don't have that soft look the other birds have and he clearly didn't belong in a bird feeder. He's pretty interesting to watch though. I know there's a lot of people here who know their stuff when it comes to birds so I'm hoping someone can tell me what he is even though it's a crappy phone picture.

[Wild&Free]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-headed_Blackbird

Perhaps. I'm no bird expert though.

[doetracks]

Thinkin' you're right. Female or juvie.

[sailor]

Would be fun to video record it

[just_dave]

Yeah, major stink eye there. Bird better watch its tude.

[Pincherguy]

Not a hundred percent sure but looks like a kee kee bird.

[OneGirlWolfPack]

Thanks Wild&Free! That definitely seems to be the kind of bird it is. It says they normally live near marshes. That explains why it's so awkward. Haha! The other birds are looking at it like it's crazy.

Dave, no doubt. If I don't show up for a few days you can go ahead and assume that thing took me out. There's just something about that one...like I wouldn't be shocked if it pulled a knife. My yard continues to attract the weirdest animals. You get a beautiful baby Robin and I get Big Bird with a criminal record.

[just_dave]

Originally Posted by OneGirlWolfPack

Dave, no doubt. If I don't show up for a few days you can go ahead and assume that thing took me out. There's just something about that one...like I wouldn't be shocked if it pulled a knife. My yard continues to attract the weirdest animals. You get a beautiful baby Robin and I get Big Bird with a criminal record.

I know, right?

My cute baby robin is just the sweetest little cupcake and your ugly murder bird is just an angry skank. lolz. Your bird is just jealous of your happiness with the other birds.

[Fish along]

That's a weird looking bird, dont know what it is , but it reminds me of Art Carney , all that is missing is the hat.

[marxman]

that clumsy interloper is up to no good for sure

[Red Bullets]

I think it might be a brown headed cowbird.

This is the site you want,

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse.aspx

[just_dave]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

I think it might be a brown headed cowbird.

This is the site you want,

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse.aspx

Word.

[sailor]

Could it be a baby Gold Eagle?

[OneGirlWolfPack]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I did a search on murder bird (lol..thanks for the name, Dave) and he looks a lot like the yellow headed blackbird.

This is almost identical to what it looks like...only the one in this picture doesn't have the same 'I'll kill your children' look on it's face. Beak looks a bit smaller but maybe it's just the angle of the picture.



The cowbird is similar but not as splotchy and weird looking at this one. Interesting tidbit I learned about the cowbird; they're the deadbeat parents of the bird world. They don't build nests. They lay their eggs in other bird's nests and (usually) bail, leaving the poor sucker who owns the nest to raise their babies. So wrong...and somewhat amusing.

[KegRiver]

Yup, it's a female Yellow Headed Blackbird.

Not your usual backyard bird but they do come to feeders occasionally, although to see one at a feeder mid summer is rather odd. They are most likely to visit a feeder in mid spring or early fall.

Oh and by the way, they are our largest species of blackbird. And like the others said, they do prefer wet habitat. To be precise, they prefer larger soughs and reedy lakes.

And they are aggressive. They will push other smaller birds out of their nesting areas.

One other thing, they have the ugliest song of any bird I know. Maybe ugly isn't the right word, but it sure ain't purty.

[OneGirlWolfPack]

Thanks Keg! I knew the aggression wasn't my imagination. Lol! I hope she doesn't scare away my beeper bird (red breasted nuthatch). It doesn't surprise me that it's odd she's in my yard. I seem to attract odd animals. Always have. I don't live beside a marsh so I'm not sure how she ended up in my little yard but something tells me this isnt the last time I'll see her. I also have a blue headed crow who tries to fit his giant body into that feeder so it'll be interesting to see what happens if they land on it at the same time.

[KegRiver]

A Crow at a feeder, now that's one I've not seen!! LOL Very cool to see I'm sure!

It's not unusual to see Grackles RedWinged or Yellow headed Blackbirds far from water.
All are marsh birds. I figure they discover the feeders enroute from one body of water to another.

And it's not likely to stick around long, a day or two most likely. They like the company of their own kind. With no company it should move on soon.

The Nuthatch will retreat for a bit but it'll be back. The Blackbird isn't much of a threat to a Nuthatch. With their preference for dense thickets and open forests and their ability to run up or down a tree or even upside down along a branch a Nuthatch can dodge any attack from a clumsy Blackbird.

But Nuthatches like quiet and so it will probably stay away till the Blackbird leaves.

[Pincherguy]

Originally Posted by OneGirlWolfPack

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I did a search on murder bird (lol..thanks for the name, Dave) and he looks a lot like the yellow headed blackbird.

This is almost identical to what it looks like...only the one in this picture doesn't have the same 'I'll kill your children' look on it's face. Beak looks a bit smaller but maybe it's just the angle of the picture.



The cowbird is similar but not as splotchy and weird looking at this one. Interesting tidbit I learned about the cowbird; they're the deadbeat parents of the bird world. They don't build nests. They lay their eggs in other bird's nests and (usually) bail, leaving the poor sucker who owns the nest to raise their babies. So wrong...and somewhat amusing.

That is definitely a Kee Kee bird, a small version for sure but that is it,

[pickrel pat]

Beak in the ops pic does not look like typical blackbird beak to me bur i dont know alot about birds either... Just looks odd to me.

[Wild&Free]

Originally Posted by pickrel pat

Beak in the ops pic does not look like typical blackbird beak to me bur i dont know alot about birds either... Just looks odd to me.

Ya, it was a sticking point for me too when looking it up, but it's the only one I found with similar coloration.

I've never seen one before, and with Keg saying they've got an 'ugly' call as he puts it I don't think I'm missing out. I love the sound of the red wing blackbirds though.

OneGirl, Cow birds will also roll one of the eggs out of the nest they laid their eggs in so the nesting bird doesn't notice an extra egg. Their young also quickly outgrow most song birds and basically take all the food brought to the nest. Vile birds, but the game animals love em for pest control.

[Fish along]

It don't resemble the ops pic , so it could still be Art Carney ,or Jimmy Durante.

[KegRiver]

Here is what they sound like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbyKevuda1E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1pEoenXySo

The thing about the Yellow Headed Blackbird that makes them easy to identify is that there is no other bird in that size range with anything close to the same colors.

Even the females have their distinctive colors, the yellow splotches on the breast.

A lot of other female song birds can be quiet hard to identify. Most fall into the LBJ category.

For you non bird watcher types, LBJ stands for Little Brown Job. It's what birders call birds they can't identify because of their common brown colors and smaller size.

[Wild&Free]

sounds like someone stepped on a cats tail.

[OneGirlWolfPack]

Hey Keg remember how you said it would go away because it only likes being around it's own kind? It brought friends today. LOL!

Looks like these two are the babies. Murder bird was around for a second but flew off before I could get pics. These two decided to stick around though.









All the other animals in my yard who aren't the least bit scared of me...

Blue headed crow with a penchant for peanuts


My favorite bird, Beeper (red breasted nuthatch). He will stand on the table and beep at me until I fill the feeder. Wish I was joking.


Bunny


And this fool who sits inside the feeder, stuffs his cheeks and eats his seeds on the fence post. He has zero fear of me and on three occasions has sat down right beside me on the back step and stares at me like he's expecting me to hand him a peanut. Seriously.

[mudbug]

You definately have an ineresting group at that bird feeder, from cute lil bunny to seriel killer bird

Dave

[Headwaters]

Blue headed crow is actually a Brewer's blackbird, so that's another one for your list of suspects. They nest in buckbrush and other low bushes and click at everyone who comes near. Quite an assembly for one bird feeder.

[KegRiver]

Wow! You do get quiet the array of critters.

I don't think the newcomers are juveniles.
The young of this year should be close to fledgling or maybe a little past that.
In which case they would be almost completely brown with no Yellow anywhere.
Last years young should be almost completely mature with little discernible difference from the adults.

I think what you have is more adult females. Not good for sure.
But I'd be more concerned about what you call a Blue headed crow.

That is actually a good name for them. It is a Common Grackle and they are a bird feeder menace.
They are aggressive and drive other birds away. They are persistent and won't go until there is no more feed. They will come back several times after the feed runs out. They are noisy, bold, and very clever.
Most attempts to thwart them fail.

The Bunny is cute. I'd love to have them around my yard.
The mouse is also cute and it may be fun to have around so long as it's not a Deer Mouse.
I can't tell if it is or not. It could also be a Field Jumping Mouse, which would be way cool.

Deer Mice are cute, and tame easily, but they are prolific breeders and are prone to chewing holes in things and they can harbor some nasty diseases.
Like Hantavirus

If they were visiting me, I'd limit the feed I put out in the hopes that the Blackbirds and other birds would stay and that the Grackles would find the picking too lean and move on.

Right now it might work. Later when the young fledge and the whole flock goes looking to fatten up for the fall migration, it could get to be a bit much.

As for the Mouse, if you see one, there are more.
They won't chase away the birds and they won't eat a lot. But they will pack some away and maybe a lot. And they will get into the house and cause problems.

I think I'd set up my camera and take some pictures. And set lots of traps in the house.

[OneGirlWolfPack]

Thank you so much for all the advice! I really appreciate it! I've been lucky so far with the mouse and blackbird. Neither has caused problems but I keep an eye on the mouse for obvious reasons. lol! This is my second year with the same mouse. I've never seen any others. Just him. I was worried he would breed but so far it's still just him. The black bird is funny to watch. He's surprisingly polite. He waits his turn at the feeder and doesn't bother the smaller birds. I really do appreciate the help. I'm so new to all of this. I got the bird feeder from my adoptive mom's house when she passed away so I'm not used to having all these animals around. Murder birds are a little freaky. The two smaller ones are quite friendly but the bigger one is terrifying. Haha! That one watches me and slowly opens his beak like he's going to attack me. Sure hope those ones move on fast!

[grizz325]

You have got yourself a real collection of friends

[just_dave]

I'm going to stick with the big one being a cow bird.

Just because of the sinister eyeball and beak looking all cray-cray. It's like 'dramatic gopher' but murder bird style.