Tom Taylor Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 In all my time out paddling rivers, I have never seen a bird like this. It was almost demonic looking with its black crown and white streaks around the eyes. I saw it for a couple of minutes perched on the edge of a roof. It hopped off and I didn't get a look at its wings or flight characteristics. Any ideas on how to identify it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Potentially Black-crowned Night-Heron? Would explain the demonic look. Is that the right structure or was it different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Taylor Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 I think it was too big to be a Heron, it was about the size of a Cardinal, and it didn't look like a 'fisherman' beak was too small Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Taylor Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 Excuse me too small to be a Heron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Cedar Waxwing? Does not necessarily fit real good, but it comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 ?? https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/151533251 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 ? https://ebird.org/species/rebnut/US-CO-037 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Taylor Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 Neither picture is right. It was all black except for the white streaks under the eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Friedman Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Female Red-winged Blackbird? This one could look much darker underneath in different lighting. https://search.macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?taxonCode=rewbla Somebody's escaped myna? This is a little demonic, as birds go. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Gracula_religiosa/pictures/collections/contributors/grzimek_birds/Sturnidae/Gracula_religiosa/ And it could always be a black bird with abnormal plumage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpoole Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 I wouldn't expect to see a woodpecker on a roof, but a male Williamson's Sapsucker has a mostly black back and white stripes on it's face. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Steller’s Jay in the shade? They can appear completely black at times. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 @Tom Taylor, would you tell us more about the environment? Right now all we have is you were paddling and the bird was on a roof. Is this open area, heavily wooded, etc? What time of day? Angled sunlight can cast odd reflections. Oh, and welcome to Whatbird! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Do Phainopeplas ever make it to CO? Although not sure about the white streaks under the eyes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 2 minutes ago, floraphile said: Do Phainopeplas ever make it to CO? Although not sure about the white streaks under the eyes... Only seventeen state records. Range maps don't show them in the state. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Just now, Quiscalus quiscula said: Only seventeen state records. Range maps don't show them in the state. Thank you @Quiscalus quiscula. I saw the range maps did not show them, that's why I was asking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Crested, black, and demonic, but unlikely in CO: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Phainopepla/photo-gallery/305854841 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birds are cool Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Tufted Titmouse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Taylor Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 We had just come off the Colorado River at a place called State Bridge: LAT: 39°51'26.64"N, LON: 106°38'50.08"W. About 7000 ft altitude. The area is mountainous, and the landscape is covered with Pine trees and other shrubs and native plants. The closest picture I have found is the Phainopepla, but it doesn't have the white stripes under or around the eyes. If you look at picture of a football player, they have those black stripes under their eyes. This bird had white stripes instead, and the crown was sharper, like one of those pointy spiked hairdos that the punk kids have. I wish my phone wasn't in my dry bag and I would have snapped a picture. Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayD Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 what about a black crested tit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 8 hours ago, jayD said: what about a black crested tit? You mean Black-crested Titmouse? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayD Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 Britannica: Titmouse, also called tit, plural titmice, small cheery-voiced nonmigratory woodland bird. Along with the chickadees, titmice make up the family Paridae (order Passeriformes), with approximately 55 species throughout the world. yes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peromyscus Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 Neither Tufted Titmouse nor Black-crested Titmouse occur in Colorado. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 3 hours ago, Peromyscus said: Neither Tufted Titmouse nor Black-crested Titmouse occur in Colorado. This 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Taylor Posted October 26, 2022 Author Share Posted October 26, 2022 The Williamson's Sapsucker looks like the best match, but I didn't see a yellow breast or a red throat. Looking at the range map and reading the habitat description, it describes the area that I was in. The only other option is it's a bird that got caught up in a storm and was dumped in the area. Most of the weather comes from the west, northwest and southwest. Or maybe we are looking at a climate change artifact, again sorry my camera was in a dry bag. ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.