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Black bird: blue wings (1 Viewer)

Abbygirl

Abbygirl

Well-known member
Black bird: blue wings / USA: Oregon

Black bird: Dull Blue wing color, No other color on the bird!

Not sure the size. or anything else. this bird was between portland and salem, oregon. my dad saw it coming home from work. Just was curious if anybody else know's of this type of bird? He says it was a bright blue color just very colorful! Thanks for any help or any other tips I could give him that my bring back his memory to ask him quesitons, thanks.
 
Last edited:
Joyce,

It would help to have more information. Some black birds like grackles and cowbirds have iridescent feathers that appear green, brown, blue or purple when the light hits them at a certain angle. Maybe Brewer's Blackbird? Purple martin may also fit your description, but would be a more subtle bluish purple. You should take a look at the various jays also to see if those ring a bell.
 
Yes I know it would help to have more information. but this is what I was given. and he only saw it in a short amount of time and this is what he remembered. like I said in the post!


dendroica_john said:
Joyce,

It would help to have more information. Some black birds like grackles and cowbirds have iridescent feathers that appear green, brown, blue or purple when the light hits them at a certain angle. Maybe Brewer's Blackbird? Purple martin may also fit your description, but would be a more subtle bluish purple. You should take a look at the various jays also to see if those ring a bell.
Click to expand...
 
I showed my dad a picture of a steller's jay and he said it was not that (sorry). the entire bird was black, and the wings were blue.

Take a look at this link. He saie it looks more like this bird!
http://www.jumpingmousestudio.com/Yelapa-_Birds-2/IMAG009A.JPG

It looks like that bird but not as bright blue. If you look more closely at the steller's jay it has a lot more blue on the bird then we think, not just the wings! I was shocked myself! Cause with the steller's jay it has blue of the bottom part (sorry not sure the right term) of the jay and its not the just feather's.

I'm beginning to wonder if there is a pure black bird out their that when the light is bright that on the wings it shines blue? anybody know of a bird that does this?

Joyce
 
Magpies (both Yellow-billed and Black-billed) have white on them, and both are just out of range of coastal Oregon. I hate to be beating this into the ground like a red-headed step-child (oh, that's just awful) but honestly, the only bird that matches what you and your dad describe is Steller's Jay.
 
Oh I really wish it were a steller's Jay. he keeps telling me no. Oh well i guess we'll never know unless I see the bird he see's. then I can do some more researching. oh well. thanks for your help all. bye for now.
 
What the heck, I'll stick my. neck out and say he saw some kind of grackle. In sunlight their wings can be various colours. So where's the choppig block. What about the crown feathers. they throw me way off.
 
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