lonesome55dove Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Taken 16 JUL 2011 /South Central Washington / Klickitat County I was looking thru old photos and ran across this shot I had marked that needed to be ID but I can not figure out what it is. I was taking photos of Sandhill Cranes when this bird flew up from the grass/treeline, this is the only photo I have. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan B Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) Female Ring-necked Pheasant? Some sort of game bird. Edited January 7, 2021 by Aidan B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesome55dove Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 8 minutes ago, Aidan B said: Female Ring-necked Pheasant? Some sort of game bird. Hmm, I never thought of games birds, I'll check them out. I was thinking more along the lines of ducks or geese. It appears to have a long neck, black bill and the face looks reddish, and there doesn't look like there are feet/legs trailing behind so I ruled out egrets, herons, and such. The all white body is throwing me off too but I don't think it is a lighting issue since the trees and grass looks alright. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefferson Shank Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Here's a cropped in version. It is a very white bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pictaker Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Looks like an immature white ibis to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefferson Shank Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Looks like an immature white ibis to me... That seems right to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLecy Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 While this bird looks right for a White Ibis, if it is in fact a WHIB, it would undoubtedly be an exotic escapee. White Ibis are known exotic pets and their natural range is very, very, very far from Klickitat County, Washington. If a WHIB and not some other leucistic wading bird, this is not a wild bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 @lonesome55dovecould you explain exactly how big the bird was? It almost looks like an albino green heron to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 10 minutes ago, IKLland said: @lonesome55dovecould you explain exactly how big the bird was? It almost looks like an albino green heron to me... You can see the ibis bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan B Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I think the lighting is a big issue with this bird, when you look at the original photo, you can see the bird is flying over the white grass which is the same color as this bird. You can tell it's an problem because the grass goes straight from white to green almost in a straight line. And that white doesn't look natural because you can see the same flowers in there as the rest of the photo and they look very different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan B Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I do think some sort of ibis or wading bird seems right for this bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Shouldn't there be black wingtips on this bird? What about a leucitic White-faced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan B Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 12 minutes ago, Connor Cochrane said: What about a leucitic White-faced That's what I was thinking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 What about a white turkey? Im having a hard time seeing an ibis bill in this photo... but maybe that’s just cause I’m on my phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 1 minute ago, Aaron said: What about a white turkey? Im having a hard time seeing an ibis bill in this photo... but maybe that’s just cause I’m on my phone. Yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestranger Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Wild Turkey was my first thought, but that's just based on the vibe I get from the photo, not because of any discernible ID features. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) Nevermind this Edited January 7, 2021 by Connor Cochrane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) Now that I actually see the legs hanging down like that, I’m almost certain it’s a waterbird. EDIT- would a turkey’s legs be in that position while taking off? Edited January 7, 2021 by Seanbirds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colton V Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) From this photo, it is very difficult to tell where the bill ends... To me the bill doesn't seem long or curved enough to be an ibis. And, as Seanbird says, it has very long legs that hang behind it. It looks like it has a red forehead. Its wings, neck, and overall posture struck me as Sandhill Crane from the beginning. Could it be a Sandhill Crane with pigment problems or in weird lighting? Or an immature bird? Edited January 7, 2021 by Colton V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbirds Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 6 minutes ago, Colton V said: From this photo, it is very difficult to tell where the bill ends... To me the bill doesn't seem long or curved enough to be an ibis. And, as Seanbird says, it has very long legs that hang behind it. It looks like it has a red forehead. Its wings, neck, and overall posture struck me as Sandhill Crane from the beginning. Could it be a Sandhill Crane with pigment problems or in weird lighting? Or an immature bird? Looks kinda small... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) Vulture? I’m disregarding color and going by shape Edited January 7, 2021 by Avery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I wasn’t sure if those legs were actual legs or just an illusion created by the background. I Don’t think we can provide any reliable ID at this point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colton V Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I'm fairly confident those are its legs, they're just to perfectly placed to be a background illusion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phalarope713 Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) This is a Sandhill Crane in weird light. Structure is spot-on. Edited January 7, 2021 by Phalarope713 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesome55dove Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 (edited) Hello...Thank you to everyone for your help. Sorry for the delay in responding...I'm having computer problems today. The original photo was taken in mid-July 2011 near the Conboy NWR in Glenwood, WA [Klickitat County]. Here are a couple more photos showing the area/terrain. @Jefferson ShankThank you for cropping the photo...I see the legs now. @IKLlandNo, I'm sorry I do not remember the size of the bird. I just recall I was focused on the Sandhill Cranes when it flew up so it was a quick snap shot. Edited January 7, 2021 by lonesome55dove Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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