I’m almost too embarrassed to ask....

[IKLland]

This bird was seen yesterday in my yard, Orange County, Ca. My camera was charging and out of reach. I had to take phone photos. This was after sunset so lighting was horrible. The breast cancer in person was reddish, seriously brick red almost. I’m  curious what this could be... or if it’s even identifiable.. thanks for any wild suggestions! 

Edited May 14, 2021 by IKLland

[PaulK]

I can't even tell where the head is so probably unidentifiable but that coloration feels like a spotted towhee to me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Aidan B]

Looks like a Spotted Towhee to me. White belly, orange sides, and a black back and tail. Not sure what's with the white head. 

Edit: Sniped by @PaulK

Edited May 14, 2021 by Aidan B

[IKLland]

3 minutes ago, Aidan B said:

Looks like a Spotted Towhee to me. White belly, orange sides, and a black back and tail. Not sure what's with the white head. 

Edit: Sniped by @PaulK

 

3 minutes ago, PaulK said:

I can't even tell where the head is so probably unidentifiable but that coloration feels like a spotted towhee to me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks!

[dimitrig]

Maybe you can circle the head of the bird. I can't even tell what I'm looking at or what way it is facing.. The part I circled looks like a head, but it could also be wings. If the circled part is the head and it has those white stripes on it then maybe a red-breasted nuthatch.

Edited May 14, 2021 by dimitrig

[dimitrig]

8 minutes ago, dimitrig said:

Maybe you can circle the head of the bird. I can't even tell what I'm looking at or what way it is facing.. The part I circled looks like a head, but it could also be wings. If the circled part is the head and it has those white stripes on it then maybe a red-breasted nuthatch.

Or even a female black-headed grosbeak. Spotted towhee is a good guess, too, but the head would be black. So where is the head? LOL!

[Connor Cochrane]

2 minutes ago, dimitrig said:

Or even a female black-headed grosbeak. Spotted towhee is a good guess, too, but the head would be black. So where is the head? LOL!

If what I'm seeing behind the bird is its tail, and not a shadow, the bird is perfectly shaped for SPTO. Not sure what's up with the white in the face

[dimitrig]

4 minutes ago, Connor Cochrane said:

If what I'm seeing behind the bird is its tail, and not a shadow, the bird is perfectly shaped for SPTO. Not sure what's up with the white in the face

Where do you see that the head of the bird is and what do you think the part I circled is?

Edited May 14, 2021 by dimitrig

[Connor Cochrane]

1 minute ago, dimitrig said:

Where do you see that the head of the bird is and what do you think the part I circled is?

I think the part you circled is the head, and the bird is looking right.

[Charlie Spencer]

That looks like a whole lot of symmetrical white head striping for a towhee.

[Seanbirds]

1 minute ago, Charlie Spencer said:

That looks like a whole lot of symmetrical white head striping for a towhee.

I don’t think that’s part of the bird.

[Charlie Spencer]

Just now, Seanbirds said:

I don’t think that’s part of the bird.

Then I have no clue how this bird is positioned or what body parts are where.  If that isn't the head as dimitrig circled, I'm lost.

[PaulK]

I see it now, there's a 3D effect here. It's sitting on the branch that I've highlighted here, which is sticking out towards us, so it's both on it and behind it if you see what I mean. The head is the black blob immediately right of the white and orange, mostly hidden behind the wider part of the branch where the other twig used to come off. Because of the photo angle we're only seeing a slim sliver of the black back. The white stuff isn't part of the bird.

[Seanbirds]

6 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said:

Then I have no clue how this bird is positioned or what body parts are where.  If that isn't the head as dimitrig circled, I'm lost.

No, I think that’s the head, I just don’t think the white stuff in front of it is.

[Charlie Spencer]

<<closes browser window, puts down the mouse, backs slowly away from the keyboard>>

[aveschapinas]

For whatever it may be worth my first impression was some kind of grosbeak. @IKLland can you explain what you mean about the breast cancer? The brown on the throat and flanks doesn't fit for Rose-Breasted Grosbeak but red would...

[PaulK]

7 minutes ago, Aveschapines said:

breast cancer

I think that was an autocorrect for breast color.

[aveschapinas]

5 minutes ago, PaulK said:

I think that was an autocorrect for breast color.

AHHH! I figured autocorrect but wasn't clear on what it was supposed to say. But like I said the pattern of the color doesn't fit for Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, and I'm not so familiar with other likely Grosbeaks.

[Connor Cochrane]

2 minutes ago, Aveschapines said:

AHHH! I figured autocorrect but wasn't clear on what it was supposed to say. But like I said the pattern of the color doesn't fit for Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, and I'm not so familiar with other likely Grosbeaks.

The only expected grosbeaks there would be Black-headed and Blue. 

[Charlie Spencer]

It would really help if @IKLland would break this bird down for us.

[The Bird Nuts]

Looks perfect for a Spotted Towhee that is hopping to another branch.  I believe the white is its wing being lifted above its body and the head is the black area just to the right of the wing behind the branch.

[dimitrig]

If it was a Spotted Towhee it would be doing something like this and the part I circled is the wing?

 

[The Bird Nuts]

5 minutes ago, dimitrig said:

If it was a Spotted Towhee it would be doing something like this and the part I circled is the wing?

 

Yes, that's what I think.

[IKLland]

14 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said:

<<closes browser window, puts down the mouse, backs slowly away from the keyboard>>

Says the guy who had his computer open to type this! ?

[IKLland]

Thanks everyone! Fits perfectly for SPTO because I saw it again today and it was one. Thanks!