Cannot ID this bird from Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona (1 Viewer)

[holmesidepi]

I captured this somewhat drably colored bird from my car while driving through the Petrified Forest National Park on 16 April 2023. I stopped there on my way back from California, and was way out of my range of experience. It has some coloring patterns suggestive of a rock wren, but was more like a pipit in size and behavior. Beak is poorly visualized, but appeared straight, and eyes were dark, so probably not a thrasher. I'm sure someone here will immediately know the answer.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

could it be a Rock wren?

 

[lockbreeze926]

Looks like a Rock Wren to me. The heavy-fronted structure is definitely some sort of desert wren and the clear but fine barring on the tail and flight feathers suggests Rock. Canyon would be more contrasty, Cactus more boldly marked and Bewicks would have a stonking supercilium.

Edit - unless it’s a juvenile, in which case…

 

[Butty]

Not the most obvious one, but rock wren seems the only option. Looks surprisingly long-legged, but it shows a couple of the tiny white upperpart-spots. Certainly not any other wren (conceivably house wren but doesn't strike me as one).

 

[AlexC]

Photos 2 and 3 are a definitive Rock Wren for me - photo 1 is a bit bizarre, we sure it's the same bird?

 

[holmesidepi]

could it be a Rock wren?

Thank you!

 

[holmesidepi]

could it be a Rock wren?

Thank you!

 

[holmesidepi]

Photos 2 and 3 are a definitive Rock Wren for me - photo 1 is a bit bizarre, we sure it's the same bird?

Thank you! I took these in April, but as I recall, there was only one bird in all 3. Retrospectively, #1 does look substantially different, and I felt it was most likely one of the pipits. I have no experience at all with the SW desert birds.

 

[holmesidepi]

I captured this somewhat drably colored bird from my car while driving through the Petrified Forest National Park on 16 April 2023. I stopped there on my way back from California, and was way out of my range of experience. It has some coloring patterns suggestive of a rock wren, but was more like a pipit in size and behavior. Beak is poorly visualized, but appeared straight, and eyes were dark, so probably not a thrasher. I'm sure someone here will immediately know the answer.

Thank you to all the responders. For some reason, I didn't receive notice of your replies two weeks ago, so sorry for the late response. I have to agree that photo 1 appears different from 2 and 3, the latter of which are rock wren by nearly unanimous consensus. If #1 is different, any ideas what it might be? Pipit?

 

[Butty]

1. The bill isn't a pipit's (finely pointed and downcurved) and the suggestion of markings on the undertail would be wrong. Tarsus length is much the same as in pic 2.