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Help with bird song ID please!
This bird was singing from the other side of a canal in a row of trees. I had one look at it and blew the chance to get a good picture because my settings weren't right for the relative darkness compared to the bird I had just gotten pics of flying in the bright sky. I did record the call and have the very dark picture (not sure it's any use). This was a small bird and I remember thinking it looked plain and gray but I didn't get too good of a look so I may be off. I've listened to lots of warbler songs and couldn't find a match so I was thinking this could be an escaped bird singing but maybe I just missed something. This was in SW Miami (The Hammocks, Florida)
Link to very dark image:
https://flic.kr/p/WEaMG4
Thanks for taking a look!
-Joe
Comments
Per Marcello it's a common yellowthroat song heard in our agricultural fields during summer. That makes sense with the silhouette. Thanks Marcelo!
Hi Joe - Did you eliminate Painted Bunting? To me, it has the burry up-and-down cadence of Painted Bunting. It doesn't seem to be in full song.
Hi Robin, thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't considered painted bunting since the bird looked so drab. Although I didn't get a very good picture I would've recognized the bright colors right away. With that being said, I compared it to painted bunting songs and it sounds very similar! I've seen both in this area but painted bunting would be pretty rare so early. Larry Manfredi did get pics of a female hanging out with the LPK black-faced grassquit though...hmmmm :-D
Adult male Painted Buntings take 2 years to get full colors - some faster than others. Many times, hatching year females and males can't be differentiated in the hand. If the dull bird that you saw was a Painted Bunting, it would be a young male that was probably a non-breeder (back early) but that learned the song on the breeding grounds. It's a fairly unique song with consistent phrases and burry finch-like quality.
Orchard Orioles do the same thing - 2 years for full breeding plumage but they will sing the song when young.
The earliest I've had a painted bunting in my yard was July 6th. The song does sound a lot like one.
I had a greenie in my yard last year in June (and got photos also)...that is a female or immature male Painted Bunting...
Agree with Painted Bunting
Thanks for the suggestion Robin and everyone else for the opinions. Very cool to hear a painted bunting singing...that's a first for me :-D
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