Backyard Birding

Deb from Let a Woman Learn sent me this photograph of a bird her family found on their porch, wondering what it was:

She mentioned that she thought it was a robin at first, but the markings led her to believe it was maybe a thrush or a thrasher.

When you have a dead bird, the general rule to take notes before reaching for the bird guide is not relevant. You have plenty of time to refer to multiple entries and even search online for the bird that best matches the one you have found. Remember that there can be quite a bit of variation between individuals within a species and when you throw seasonal plumage and differing life stages, even the best bird guides may leave you without a certain identification. For the practice, here is the process I go through when identifying a bird:

Size: About that of a robin. Deb actually mentioned it was about the size of her hand, or about eight inches. This might be on the small side for a robin, but on the large side for many of the thrushes.

Color: The back is dark gray, almost black. The underbelly is whitish, flecked with indistinct black specks and has an orange tint to it. The brown thrasher has a back that is much more brown, and the spots on the breast are very distinct. It also lacks any orange tinting. The sage thrasher isn’t as dark, lacks the tinting and is out of range for where Deb lives.

Beak: The beak is dark, like a thrasher or thrush. The robin has a yellow beak, at least in my field guide.

Eyes: The eyes are dark, with a distinctive white ring. This is a unique feature of the American robin.

Behavior: Not applicable when looking at a dead bird. It would be helpful to see the bird standing, since robins have a more erect stance than the other birds we are comparing this to, and are not as shy.

Predominantly because of the white eye ring, the orangish tint to the breast and Deb’s initial thoughts, I am fairly certain this bird is an American robin. It is not an adult, however, but a fledgling. Here is a picture of a fledgling robin for comparison.

What do you think? I am still relatively new to this, and the further a bird gets from the picture in my field guide, the less certain I am!

Don’t forget the comment contest going on for the month of August here at 451 Press. Every comment counts!

birding, backyard birding, bird watching, identification, bird identification, robin, fledgling