-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Identifying a bird in Melbourne, Australia (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Saxon0192
- Start date
sicklebill
well-known Cretaceous relic
I wonder if it's a very weird photo of a Common Bronzewing, the scalloped back and longish bill would fit
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Wtf!!!
Richard Dale
Well-known member
Leaving aside the accusations of insults (no insults were directed at the OP - the photo was described as potentially weird and the bird as looking stupid, which is fair enough for a young pigeon), I think it's probably a recently fledged spotted dove. Insufficient scalloping for a bronzewing, and no sign of the typical face pattern which is still partially present on juveniles. Young spotted doves are pretty plain though, and the white in the vicinity of the tail could be displaced outer tail feathers.
I wouldn't normally comment on an Australian thread where several Australian experts are commenting. But no-one seems confiident, so here's my ¢2 worth.
1. I think the OP was mistaken about the size of the bird because it's sitting in the middle of a lot of grass and hunched up so looked smaller than it actually was
2. I think that the apparent white tail is an illusion and is actually a leaf whitened out in the photo. If you look at my photo 02 you can see that that there is a clear green line (i.e. grass) between the blackish tail and the apparent white tail extension, so the white is not part of the bird
3. Look at the face patterning for ID and what do you get?
4 The bill is surely very wide
Isn't this just a Pacific Black Duck having a rest?
Or something similar, not something rare or weird?
1. I think the OP was mistaken about the size of the bird because it's sitting in the middle of a lot of grass and hunched up so looked smaller than it actually was
2. I think that the apparent white tail is an illusion and is actually a leaf whitened out in the photo. If you look at my photo 02 you can see that that there is a clear green line (i.e. grass) between the blackish tail and the apparent white tail extension, so the white is not part of the bird
3. Look at the face patterning for ID and what do you get?
4 The bill is surely very wide
Isn't this just a Pacific Black Duck having a rest?
Or something similar, not something rare or weird?
Head+bill (appear) too small. But anything is possible in a low-quality photo. No offence to the photographer.
I don't see a 'very wide' bill at all.
Nothing rare or weird has been suggested.
