Pheasant? Turkey? Fowl? (2 Viewers)

[jocateme]

This strange bird has been seen near Araçatuba, São Paulo, in Southwestern Brazil. I couldn't see it in detail, so all I know is what is in the picture. I thought of some kind of pheasant or fowl, but I am not sure. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Mos]

Don't leave out Flicker as a possibility.

 

[colonelboris]

possibly a bronze turkey, of the eating kind.

 

[jocateme]

Mos: What Flicker do you think it can be?

Colonelboris: The Bronze Turkey doesn't occur in Brazil. What's more it doesn't have the black corwn my bird has.

Thanks for your help

 

[jocateme]

I looked thorugh my field guide again and found some similar Tinamous. Do you think this is a possibility?

 

[Carlos U]

I would suggest a very blurred Green-barred Woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros)

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

Carlos could very well be right in his suggestion of Green-barred Woodpecker (which, being in the genus Colaptes, belong in the group normally called Flickers). However, I don't see any reason why it couldn't be a Bronze Turkey, too - a bird common in captivity and therefore also a very real possibility. I am pretty sure it isn't a Tinamou. However, this leads us to another issues: Any photo where one can't discount a Turkey for certain and likewise can't discount a species of Woodpecker - well, then the photo clearly is too blurry to make an ID with a fair level of reliability.

 

[jocateme]

I would suggest a very blurred Green-barred Woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros)

Carlos, you must be kidding! The first bird I thought was exactly the Green-barred Woodpecker, especially because I've heard some peck noises, while I saw the bird (sorry, I forgot to tell you about the noises), but I haven't even said my guess, because I thought you would find this an "absurd". Please, look at this other photo of the bird.
About the Bronze Turkey, I didn't find it at my Brazilian birds field guide.

 

[Terry O'Nolley]

What was the size of this bird?

If my assumptions (placed on the photo) are correct, then this looks good for a woodpecker, rather than a fowl, based on its tail feathers.

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

If my assumptions (placed on the photo) are correct, then this looks good for a woodpecker, rather than a fowl, based on its tail feathers.

Yes - if it is a bird in optimum conditions. However, escapees generally aren't in good conditions and just about any feather (tail, wing, etc.) looks rather pointed if it's dirty and/or wet. However, the red crown (if that's what it is?) on the 2nd photo would support the Woodpecker theory, but again - I'd say this is one of those that just got away or at very most I'd stretch it and call it a "perhaps Green-barred WP". Anyway, if that's really what it was it's (luckily) pretty common and there's a good chance it'll be sighted again (I also see there's one of the close relatives, a Campo Flicker, in jocateme's avatar).

 

[Chris Benesh]

Hi All,

This is classic example of visual illusion (e.g. do you see the candle stick holder or two faces in profile, old woman's face or young lady, etc.). What I see is a woodpecker with tail partially spread and wings drooped, looking over its left shoulder with head 180 degree or more looking out over its back. There is a dark cap, very pale face and a dark malar when interpreted that way. It looks a lot like this:

http://www.ib.usp.br/ceo/images/col_mel.JPG

aka, Green-barred Woodpecker.

But I definitely see the "turkey" in the image too, but seeing the woodpecker so well, the turkey doesn't look too convincing to me. All of this is making me hungry.:eat:

Chris

 

[Carlos U]

Im looking at those photos and all I see all the time is a blurry woodpecker with greenish back, dark crown, red nape and redish malar stripes. An unbalanced or sunbathing individual in the first photo with both wings and tail partially spread and a similar individual on the ground with the bill slightly upwards. No fowl like (turkey or tinamou) at all.

The (rather crude) silouhette analysis i've made suggest clearly a woodpecker.

With all this my best bet is a greener (perhpas nattereri) Green-barred Woodpecker (or flicker, as you like).

What is your guess, Jocateme

 

[colonelboris]

Not surprising you couldn't find bronze turkey - it's a variation o the domestic eating version, not a wild one.
I now see the woodpecker thing...

 

[jocateme]

What I see is a woodpecker with tail partially spread and wings drooped, looking over its left shoulder with head 180 degree or more looking out over its back

all I see all the time is a blurry woodpecker with greenish back, dark crown, red nape and redish malar stripes. An unbalanced or sunbathing individual in the first photo with both wings and tail partially spread and a similar individual on the ground with the bill slightly upwards

After examining this photo many times, I understood the position of the bird (this explains why we can't see its red crown like in the other photo), but its bill seemed too small to me, if it is in fact a woodpecker (or flicker). Is it just an impression or didn't I "understand" the photo?

Thanks for all your help

 

[Chris Benesh]

After examining this photo many times, I understood the position of the bird (this explains why we can't see its red crown like in the other photo), but its bill seemed too small to me, if it is in fact a woodpecker (or flicker). Is it just an impression or didn't I "understand" the photo?

Thanks for all your help

Hi Jocoteme,

It appears that the bill is out of focus and pointed almost directly toward the photographer (i.e., pointed slightly to the right of the photographer), thus there is no way to reliably make any assessment of its shape and size. I also disagree slightly with some of the other interpretations of minor details posted here, just proving how difficult a photo it is to work with. But overall, I think that there is a sufficiently strong case for this being a woodpecker.

Chris

 

[jocateme]

I agree with you: there are sufficient clues for us to say this is a Green-barred Woodpecker.

Thanks Chris, Carlos, Rasmus, Terry, Colonelboris and Mos for your help! This really helped me!