Quiz #309 (2009-3-04) Answer

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Answer by Tony Leukering

Though I received responses involving nearly as many incorrect species as correct answers, the plurality of respondents got this week's quiz correct. Nearly all answers involved some species of Tringa sandpiper, which is the correct genus, but 11 of those 21 didn't select the right Tringa.

Starting at that genus, the fact that the bird is in alternate plumage tells us that the picture was taken in spring or early summer, as all Tringas are fairly early breeders (for shorebirds), seeing as how none of them are truly arctic in nature. The thickness of the bill base rules out the stiletto-armed Solitary, Wood, Green, and Marsh sandpipers, and Lesser Yellowlegs, with the strong and wide blackish bars on the scapulars and tertials assisting in eliminating some of those species. The white side to the rump and the vaguely gray tail without any pattern is fine for Greater Yellowlegs and Willet, but the tail pattern (or lack thereof) is wrong for Spotted and Common sandpipers. Additionally, those species are also ruled out by our bird's strong dark chevrons on the sides and flanks. Obviously, the complete lack of solid black plumage rules out Spotted Redshank. Common Redshank has legs too bright orange (what we can see of our bird's legs look dull yellow) and they have bright orange bill bases. Finally, Greater Yellowlegs has tertials that are blackish with white spots or bars, not our bird's brownish tertials with strong black bars.

I took this picture of an adult Willet at Nummy Island, Cape May Co., NJ, on 30 May 2009. The data on date and location should let us know that our quiz bird is of the eastern form, but we can also tell that from the extensive dark patterning of the upperparts, particularly its well-marked head and neck.

Incorrect species provided as answers:
Lesser Yellowlegs - 2
Limpkin - 1
Solitary Sandpiper - 2
Greater Yellowlegs - 7
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Red-throated Loon - 1
Short-billed Dowitcher - 1
White-rumped Sandpiper - 1

The 10 of 26 providing the correct answer:
Tyler Bell
George Cresswell
Andy Dettling
Peter Wilkinson
Al Guarente
Mark Dettling
Aaron Brees
Su Snyder
Robert McNab
Chishun Kwong

Answer: Willet

Quiz #308 (2009-3-03) Answer

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Answer by Tony Leukering

Yet another quiz picture of the south end of a north-bound bird. As Chuck Carlson noted, "This is not a view normally illustrated in the field guides...." Perhaps, it should be, as I certainly see enough of disappearing hindquarters in the field to be able to make good use of such illustrations!

As all respondents noted, this week's quiz bird is a sparrow; the overall brown color, extensive streaking, and pink legs certainly make that a good starting group. Though most respondents got the correct answer, even some that did noted that the quiz was tough.

Though streaking may be considered a typical feature of sparrows, many are, at least as adults, unstreaked below -- virtually all of 'em have streaking on the back. Of course, note that I qualified the above with "as adults." Could this be a juvenile bird in typically streaked juvenal sparrow plumage? Well, a quick look at a bit of the bird that we can see well, the undertail coverts, tells us that the beastie is not in juvenal plumage, as those feathers do not appear weak and fluffy. So, on to adult sparrows.

There are, actually, very few sparrows that show such obvious streaking on the flanks and undertail coverts: Lincoln's Sparrow and some forms of Savannah, Fox, and Song sparrows. The strong rufescent tones in much of the plumage and the gray bits on the head rule out Savannah. Those Fox Sparrows that have streaking on the undertail coverts lack, or mostly lack, it on the back, and those with back streaking have different color streaking there and lack undertail-covert streaking.

That leaves us with a sometimes-difficult duo, Song and Lincoln's sparrows. Were the bird in hand, we could almost certainly ID it as a Song, as Lincoln's almost always erect the crown feathers into a crest when in the hand. However, the bird is not in the hand and we must look elsewhere for our ID. And, for that, we'll go back to the undertail coverts, a tract of feathers that is very useful for ID, but greatly overlooked. We can see that the ground color of most of these feathers is buffy and that certainly suggests Lincoln's Sparrow, though at least some Song Sparrows, particularly in the western race morphna, sport such. But, the color of the streaking on the undertail coverts (and on the flanks) is black, not the reddish color of morphna or most other races of Song Sparrow. I provide, below, another picture of the same Lincoln's Sparrow photographed by Rachel Hopper 16 May 2008 in Fremont Co., CO, during the annual Colorado Field Ornithologists' convention.



I received one correct answer that arrived after the deadline.

Incorrect species provided as answers:
Seaside Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow - 2

The 20 of 23 providing the correct answer:
Marcel Such
Tucker Lutter
George Cresswell
Al Guarente
Brandon Percival
Robert McNab
Ira Sanders
Tammy Sanders
Andy Dettling
Chuck Carlson
Mark Dettling
Aaron Brees
John Bissell
Bill Rozar
Su Snyder
Peter Wilkinson
Joel Such
Barbara Deneen
Chishun Kwong
Margie Joy

Answer: Lincoln's Sparrow