ID from Georgia, Woodstock (US) (1 Viewer)

[ignicapilla]

Hello, I was wondering what these two birds are, to me they seem to be two different species. Apologies for the poor quality.

 

[qwerty5]

The bird on the left might be a goldfinch, the shape looks right.

 

[Michael Long]

Top bird is a Brown-headed Cowbird I think

 

[nartreb]

cowbird (probably female) was my impression of the top bird as well. Bottom bird seems to have a different tail shape. There's a trident shape that at first glance looks like crossed primaries like you often see in goldfinch, but the primaries are visible higher up the bird. I think the bottom bird is growing new tail feathers.

Very hard to be confident as I can't make out any detail of color pattern, but my instinct is that these are the same species.

 

[ignicapilla]

Thanks, both! I don't know how to explain it, but the bird below looked to me a lot like a purple martin, somehow

 

[Butty]

my instinct is that these are the same species

Can't be: the bills are very different.
There may perhaps be confusion from misreading of the photo, particularly re. the lower bird: the position of its feet shows that it is being seen from side-on and slightly in front, so its head is nearer than the branch (not from below and behind, with head further away than the branch, which might be an alternative reading).

 

[qwerty5]

Bottom bird seems to have a different tail shape. There's a trident shape that at first glance looks like crossed primaries like you often see in goldfinch, but the primaries are visible higher up the bird. I think the bottom bird is growing new tail feathers.

Very hard to be confident as I can't make out any detail of color pattern, but my instinct is that these are the same species.

The new tail feather on the bottom bird isn't too long for a goldfinch. I have a hard time reconciling it's bill and size with a cowbird, but I'm far from confident about anything

 

[nartreb]

My impression is that the lower bird has its head turned away from the camera, hiding the basal half of the bill. I could be wrong.

 

[Butty]

I don't like to repeat things, on principle - but you appear to have ignored...

the position of its feet

 

[ignicapilla]

This is my interpretation of the lower bird's position