Bird in Mexico (1 Viewer)

lassa8

Well-known member

• Aug 9, 2004

• #1

I'm at CIMMYT near Texcoco, Mexico (just outside of Mexico City) right now, and this morning I saw a bird that I've been unable to identify. It was roughly house sparrow size, it had a yellow head, gray back/body, and had yellow feathers on the underside of its tail. Any ideas? I didn't get a very long look at it before it took off. It was in the lower branches of a tall tree near maize and wheat fields a bit over 7000 ft elevation.

 

Bono

Well-known member

• Aug 9, 2004

• #2

lassa8 said:

I'm at CIMMYT near Texcoco, Mexico (just outside of Mexico City) right now, and this morning I saw a bird that I've been unable to identify. It was roughly house sparrow size, it had a yellow head, gray back/body, and had yellow feathers on the underside of its tail. Any ideas? I didn't get a very long look at it before it took off. It was in the lower branches of a tall tree near maize and wheat fields a bit over 7000 ft elevation.

Click to expand...

Yellow-Headed Blackbird?

 

M

Manuel

Member

• Aug 9, 2004

• #3

It could be a Yellow-Headed Blackbird. If you get to see it again, watch for white patches on the wings when in flight. It would be interesting if it turned out to be this species since the guides I have show them as a winter visitor and nesting in Mexico.

 

D

Dave B Smith

Well-known member

• Aug 9, 2004

• #4

Lassa,
The other one I can think of that fits your general description would be the Verdin, other than the yellow on tail feathers. It is generally a desert bird found from SeaLevel to 2000 M and its normal range from Southwestern US comes down to just north of Mexico City. Check out a picture and let us know.

 

lassa8

Well-known member

• Aug 10, 2004

• #5

Dave-

My first thought was a verdin, but I didn't think that they were in the area. It definitely was not a yellow-headed blackbird. The bill was way too thick and the bird was way too small. I'm off to check out some more pictures of verdins now though to see if that was it or not. Thanks for the help!

 

lassa8

Well-known member

• Aug 10, 2004

• #6

Just found this picture online and this is a perfect match for what I saw.

http://www.birdsofoklahoma.net/images/verdin02.jpg

 

D

Dave B Smith

Well-known member

• Aug 10, 2004

• #7

Lassa,
Glad you could ID it from a picture. Avibase shows the Verdin in the Mexico State checklist. Seems this fellow is just a little out of general habitat (maize and wheat fields versus desert).

 

lassa8

Well-known member

• Aug 10, 2004

• #8

Thanks again, Dave. It's nice to know that this species is actually found in this general area and I wasn't seeing things this morning.