Female Red Winged Blackbird or what? USA, Virginia (1 Viewer)

Can you help us identify this bird we see in the tidewater area? It is similar to female red winged black bird pictures we have seen but there similarities in all those pictures that we do not see in this bird.

Sorry the pictures are not the best.

We have seen this bird at our mixed seed feeder several times in the lase 3 days. There is a black oil sunflower seed feeder a couple of feet away but we have never seen this bird at that feeder.

To help with size estimate, the perch ring on the feeder is 7 inches in diameter.

Many thanks for your help.

Looks like female RWB to me. What made you think it wasn't?

nartreb said:

Looks like female RWB to me. What made you think it wasn't?

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Tanks for your reply.

All the pictures I saw show an orange-ish color around the bill that this bird does not have.

Yes, most do have an orangish color around the beak; that's variable. Also your photos have poor light and not much color and contrast, so I wouldn't expect to see it in the photo.

You're certainly right about the picture, but I couldn't get a better one. When viewing the actual bird, there is no hint of orange anywhere on it. I figured it was probably a red wing, but I am VERY far from an expert and I wanted to know for sure. This bird seems to be more stocky than the very few male red wings I have seen & I haven't seen any recently. I do not recall ever having seen a bird like this one.