nature, Photography

Mystery Bird

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(The answer will be at the end of the post.) I saw this cute little robin-like bird while out walking.

Very unafraid, he or she let me get within about a metre (3 ft) which I needed to do since I only had my cell for photos.

The size, wing-configuration and body shape all shouted that this bird is a type of thrush – so are North American robins – but when I saw it walking, the gait was definitely different. Robins will do a combination of hopping and walking, while this bird was a very confident walker with rather largish feet for its size, I thought.

I also had the sense that given the colouration, this little one might be a female or a juvenile from this summer.

Once I got back home and was able to do an online search, I learned that this is either a female or juvenile yellow-headed blackbird which means that it’s a passerine, not a thrush. They live among the bulrushes – which explains the feet as they need strong ones to grab those grasses as they perch, especially if it’s windy – near water and I discovered this little one on a railing above Okanagan Lake.

Photo courtesy of All About Birds

As you can see, in addition to the yellow heads, the males also have white wing flashes. These birds like to migrate to Mexico for the winter, but in some places they remain all year. The Okanagan Valley is apparently one of those places.

Happy Wednesday.

26 thoughts on “Mystery Bird”

  2. We have yellow headed blackbirds out here as well. They seem to be getting rarer as the pothole ponds shrink. We seldom see them in the city, as they prefer country dwelling. A very pretty bird, both female and male. Happy Wednesday Lynette. Allan

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    1. Thank you, Allan. I have seen both the yellow and red-winged blackbirds in southern Alberta but I don’t think I had ever seen the females or juveniles. They do seem to prefer country dwelling although this little one was definitely in the city! The pothole ponds are so important to the ecosystem but climate change is having such an impact, unfortunately.

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    1. Actually, the yellow-headed blackbird is a type of passerine, so it’s not related to the robin. Sorry, Ally, I should have made that clear earlier and have now corrected it in my post. Apart from the feet – which are specialised so they can grab grasses for perching – they look very robin-like, though. To my little eye, much closer to being a thrush than a passerine. Other passerine members are canaries, starlings and blue jays, widely differing from each other in the looks and voice departments!

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