Peach-colored bird spotted in Ulster County NY (1 Viewer)

[LuvByrdz]

Firstly, I am an amateur, a bird lover for many years. I love to feed the birds and watch all the different varieties that show up for the suet and seeds. Typically, I can identify the juncos, chickadees, flickers, nuthatches, titmice, woodpeckers, etc. But a bird I spotted yesterday has escaped any form of ID, including my trusty Audobon handbooks and online searches. I live in Ulster County, the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York State, in a small town near Wallkill, Newburgh, New Paltz. Yesterday, I noticed a bird flying in a way similar to a swallow, but the bird was substantially larger…I estimate it was 7-8”, without the tail. The tail was medium length, maybe 3” and split like a swallow’s tail. It landed in a maple, so I grabbed my binoculars to check it out. It’s color was almost all peach. It spread its wings while perching; the underside was white. I could only see the front of the bird, so I don’t know if there were dark markings. One very noticeable feature was a large round abdomen. It flew off before I could nail down the rest of its features, but I believe the eye appeared dark against the peach. There was no crest or tuft to the head, and I think possibly the beak was like that of a finch, but I can’t be sure. It was a beautiful sight, but I have no idea what it was. Does anyone know? I think it must have been on a long distance trip and definitely not native to this area. Would appreciate any input/photos of possibilities. Thank you!
Carol Dailey

 

[nartreb]

Barn swallows can have quite a lot of yellow to peach to reddish color on the belly, breast, and throat. That would be extremely unusual, maybe unprecedented, to see by the Hudson this time of year. E-Bird has a handful of nearby records from late March in the past 10 years, nothing for February. But there's a first time for everything.

However if you thought you could see the beak and the eye, you should have noticed a dark cap, so the identification remains highly doubtful.

 

[LuvByrdz]

Barn swallows can have quite a lot of yellow to peach to reddish color on the belly, breast, and throat. That would be extremely unusual, maybe unprecedented, to see by the Hudson this time of year. E-Bird has a handful of nearby records from late March in the past 10 years, nothing for February. But there's a first time for everything.

However if you thought you could see the beak and the eye, you should have noticed a dark cap, so the identification remains highly doubtful.

Yes, I’m familiar with barn swallows; they’re considerably smaller than the bird I saw. I’m really puzzled by it because it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, almost like a tropical bird. But thank you; I appreciate your response.

 

[DHayden]

What about an female Eastern Bluebird

 

[LuvByrdz]

Bluebirds are indeed beautiful! The ones I’ve seen have peach colored breasts , but they’re much smaller than the bird I saw. Thanks for your response.

 

[gsimonel]

Maybe an exotic escapee?

 

[TicoTyler]

Perhaps a small raptor. Kestrel or Falcon?

 

[nartreb]

or sharpie, but the tail description doesn't match

 

[LuvByrdz]

Perhaps a small raptor. Kestrel or Falcon?

I’ve seen a pair of Kestrels on my property. The Shawangunk Sanctuary is near here, and a Kestrel box sits on the edge of my land. Kestrels are smaller than the bird I saw, and its color seemed more uniform. And the one falcon I spotted had more of a mottled brown appearance. I did some more research, and I’m thinking, as one responder said, it could be an exotic escapee.

 

[LuvByrdz]

Maybe an exotic escapee?

That’s what I’m thinking. Its color and larger size are not typical for any birds native to our area. I was looking at “Budgies” today and wondering if it could have been one of the many colorful variations of the Budgeriger, a type of parrot. I observed the bird’s flight was similar to that of a swallow. It swooped and glided like an acrobat before perching in the tree. I’ve just viewed videos of wild Budgies in flight, and they do look like the bird I saw flying. It may have escaped from someone’s home, as it appeared to be of rather large size and well fed. Because its color was a peachy tone, its similar colored beak was not noticeable while I had the chance to see it. I’m thinking somebody’s Budgie took off flew across my property and perched in my tree for a few seconds. It was quite a sight, one that I won’t forget.

 

[LuvByrdz]

…further research shows that Budgies are typically smaller and have limited coloration compared to parakeets, which are larger and have many colors, including pink, white, violet, and more. Maybe it was an escaped parakeet! Hope it’s okay out in this wild weather!

 

[TicoTyler]

…further research shows that Budgies are typically smaller and have limited coloration compared to parakeets, which are larger and have many colors, including pink, white, violet, and more. Maybe it was an escaped parakeet! Hope it’s okay out in this wild weather!

Was just going to say that, Budgies are much smaller than Kestrels so wouldn't be that.

 

[TicoTyler]

Just ran across this rare bird report of a Varied Thrush for NH and made me think of this thread.

 

[LuvByrdz]

Was just going to say that, Budgies are much smaller than Kestrels so wouldn't be that.

I’m fairly certain the bird I saw was a large parakeet with an overall pink/peach color. The flight pattern, size, behavior and body shape match the photos and videos I’ve found. It most likely was someone’s pet.