The Most Boring Bird of All? (1 Viewer)

[foresttwitcher]

Spoiler alert!!!

Too late!

 

[Amarillo]

Got to be feral pigeon surely? Its about the only species that is everywhere in the world

 

[dantheman]

Got to be feral pigeon surely? Its about the only species that is everywhere in the world

Someone may disagree with you ...

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=296138

I think what we are looking for here is a bird which in the circumstances ought to knock you out, but conspicuously fails to do so.

There was a short discussion about punching the air on finding a Cattle Egret which almost reversed the idea!

Ambiguous, but yes it could be read that way. Certainly if Robins were rare they'd get appreciated more (there's an amazing photo of twitchers at a Chinese one somewhere on here ...).

About 5 - 10 years ago (?) dropped by to twitch a Cattle Egret near Salisbury somewhere on my way past, and re-found it beside a ditch after only a short while, much to the palpable relief and delight of those present who'd been building up for the big dip - guess they were more exciting back then?

Sylvia borin aside (only Keith borin could be worse?) and going a bit rarer, I realise I've never twitched a single rare warbler in the UK, Hume's, Pallas's and YB aside, although I've been in the right place for a Booted Warbler once. Similar with rare pipits. I like Caspian Gulls though - poss because found a few when I lived in Kent, but imm large gulls are mostly quite boring imo ...

From the twitching lingo we also get -

Fawn Yawn - 1st w Rosy Starling
Grotfinch - imm or f Common Rosefinch

Says it all?

 

[Nightjar61]

For me it's the Tufted Titmouse. A drab washed-out grayish color with a grating, irritating call. And when I'm birding, trying to find something interesting, the movement in the bushes often turns out to be a Tufted Titmouse.

Some of my birding friends, however, think I'm nuts. They think a titmouse is cute, with its bright beady black eye.

Dave

 

[Keebs]

Turkeys - they even taste boring!

 

[Pinewood]

Turkeys - they even taste boring!

Hello Keebs,

A wild turkey is an amazing sight. My spotting one in the middle of New York City was memorable.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

For me it's the Tufted Titmouse. A drab washed-out grayish color with a grating, irritating call. And when I'm birding, trying to find something interesting, the movement in the bushes often turns out to be a Tufted Titmouse.

Some of my birding friends, however, think I'm nuts. They think a titmouse is cute, with its bright beady black eye.

Dave

I agree with your friends. I like titmice.

The drab washed out grayish bird with a grating, irritating call that often turns out to be the movement in the bushes is gray catbird. Probably my least favorite species. Especially in mid-summer, which I call the "catbird doldrums."

 

[swankyspoon]

I agree with your friends. I like titmice.

The drab washed out grayish bird with a grating, irritating call that often turns out to be the movement in the bushes is gray catbird. Probably my least favorite species. Especially in mid-summer, which I call the "catbird doldrums."

Agreed on Gray Catbird - first one of the season is fun, but they become boring fast. Not only that: they also mislead me into thinking they might be something more interesting.

 

[Jon Turner]

Well it turns out that Jon Turner has answered this question for us in the 1000 birds in a year thread:

1001) Brown Illadopsis - when we were trying to find this I thought it was No. 1000, so when I saw this dull brown bird in a bunch of dead palm leaves I really wasn't that excited, but we all shook hands anyway!!!

On countback when I got home the 1000th species of the year turned out to Red-headed Malimbe, so the Illadopsis was relegated to 1001! Didn't spend too much time with it, but they all count!! :-O

 

[Tiraya]

I would prefer that my first bird in various countries was not...*drum roll* the feral pigeon.

But they ain't that bad, I mean think of all the colour varieties they come in. I like starlings too but I do get disappointed when I see a group on a field and think they are something else.

 

[ovenbird43]

Gonna have to eat my words re: waterfowl are not interesting. They sure do brighten up a drab New York winter day! Stunning male Long-tailed Ducks on Lake Ontario this weekend, plus about 7 other species. Nice.

Also, having just recently moved here, I'm developing a new appreciation for gulls, which I always tended to ignore in the past.

I'll stick with Feral Pigeon then as most boring, although they are not completely devoid of redeeming qualities :t:

 

[chowchilla]

It's hard for me to describe any bird as boring, but I do tend to look through Common Mynahs here in Cairns. Also have difficulty getting excited with Spotted Dove, Pacific Black Duck, Mangrove Robin, Black Butcherbird and Noisy Miner.

 

[avesjohn]

This is obviously a purely subjective question, but the way I see it, no bird is truly "boring". While I may be annoyed by the presence of the 4 major exotics (Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, European Starling, House Sparrow) here in the US, I'd be ecstatic to see them in their native range, even better if it were in a natural habitat.

Likewise, as native birds go, my California-based perspective makes me jaded to all the local specialties (California Quail, Thrasher, Towhee, plus the ones that don't have the state in their name like Oak Titmouse and Anna's Hummingbird), as well as all the typical "western US" birds found here, but they're still all fascinating creatures in their own right. Even in my own backyard - and this goes for every one of us - no two days are the same in terms of birdlife, and that keeps things exciting.

 

[Monahawk]

The dodo. The exhibit I saw in a museum once, didn't move or do anything! I guess that goes for all extinct species or their stuffed remains.

Si.

 

[Hamasmith]

I haven't logged for a long time and I have just gone through this thread and would have responded earlier had I known how boring things are.

What is wrong with you all! The only thing I found boring were all those saying how boring birds are. No bird is boring! All birds are interesting, whether they be little brown jobs or very flamboyant peacocks!

Wake up we are all birders with a love for birds. So we should never be bored!

 

[sandrinhalee]

I haven't read through all the posts, but has anyone mentioned seagulls? I have loads of photos of seagulls but I don't even bother looking through them because I find them so boring.

 

[wolfbirder]

It seems the boredom factor for many is inextricably linked to how common a bird is.........hence mallard, Crow, Wood Pigeon, common gull species.

From a UK perspective I would not include Mallard because they are stunning - imagine seeing a drake if they were as rare as Harlequin Duck here, I would not include corvids because they are so intelligent though Jay apart boring as hell to look at, I would not include House Sparrows or Starlings because they are nice to look at close up and House Sparrow behaviour is fascinating, & I would not include Mute Swans - they don't move quickly but are so graceful on the water.

But I cannot think of many redeeming features for pigeons (good flyers though), Black-headed Gulls, Greylag Geese (pretty damn ugly).

Each to their own of course!

 

[Bananafishbones]

:C it has to be Feral Pigeon.

when travelling the world enjoying the differing species each country and continent has to offer and you always end up bumping into too many Feral Pigeons.

 

[crazyfingers]

Many people would probably answer house sparrow as the most boring of all

Niels

It was the first thing I thought of because they are always the first thing I see and I see them in great numbers all day long. They populate my yard by the hundreds. They out number the total population of other birds, all chickadees, titmouse, downies, junkos, cardinals, etc.. all taken together by about 50 to 1.

BUT they are a bickering sort. It's interesting to see them knock each other off the feeder.

I recall a few weeks ago I was about a 10 minutes down the street and walking home and I slowly heard the rising volume of chirping birds as I neared my house. It went from silence to a clatter as I realized the clatter was coming from my yard.

I could easily get along with a whole lot fewer of them and then I might appreciate them more.

We call their army at the feeder, BBB's for Boring Brown Birds.

 

[crazyfingers]

I'd stay that most birds are interesting in some way. Even House Sparrows, but they are on the low interest side.

Someone mentioned gulls but at the beach watching them watching the people for an unsecured snatch of food is interesting and their soaring is very cool.

In the end I keep coming back to mourning doves as least interesting but even they are interesting how fast they can fly when they see danger.