2nd Sparrow-like ID *Graphic* roadkill--Death Valley National Park California (1 Viewer)

I am a biologist that has worked for the National Park Service for 6 years as an employee and volunteer. Currently I am working on a project to document roadkill along the Death Valley National Park roads. I need assistance identifying three birds. This will be the second of three posts. This bird was found along California Highway 190 heading East towards Las Vegas. It was very close to the Mile Marke post 111.50 near the turnoff to Badwater Road. The other bird is also very graphic. The image was taken at 9:21 am Pacific Daylight Time in very bright sunlight. The bird is in my shadow so that the colors weren't diminished.

It was very mangled. When I removed it from the roadway, it was too damaged to take further photographs that would aid in identification.

Tough one. Sparrow or finch of some sort, I would think. The exact shape of the bill might help: does the bill survive?

Short answer, No. The Ravens were quickly converging. I remember it as having similar coloration and about 3/4 the length with a similar thickness of the sparrow in my first roadkill post.

One thinks first of emberizid sparrows, but all the ones with streaked breast and flanks have pink, or at least pale, feet. Those are icteriid feet, which leaves us with one possibility, female or immature Red-winged Blackbird.

Will

prattw said:

One thinks first of emberizid sparrows, but all the ones with streaked breast and flanks have pink, or at least pale, feet. Those are icteriid feet, which leaves us with one possibility, female or immature Red-winged Blackbird.

Click to expand...

Quite right: I didn't consider the feet. Female Red-winged Blackbird now looks good to me also.

Thanks for the identification assistance. There are numerous flocks of 40+ female and juvenile redwing black birds that currently are found in and around this are of the park.

Full Disclosure: I was within a hair of posting a reasoned discussion of why it had to be a Savannah Sparrow when I took a last look at the photo and actually saw what I had been looking at.

Will