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| Common name: |
Indigo Bunting |
|
| Scientific name: | Passerina cyanea | |
| Date: | July 26, 2012 | |
| Time: | 11:30 a.m. | |
| Length of time observed: | 7 minutes | |
| Number: | 1 | |
| Age: | ||
| Sex: | male | |
| Location: | Lower Hobble Creek Wildlife Management Area | |
| County: | Utah | |
| Latilong: | 6 | |
| Elevation: | 4488 | |
| Distance to bird: | 30 feet | |
| Optical equipment: | 10x binoculars, 75-300mm telephoto lens | |
| Weather: | hot, clear sky, no wind | |
| Light Conditions: | mid-day sunlight | |
| Description: Size of bird: | small, sparrow sized | |
| (Description:) Basic Shape: | Perching bird | |
| (Description:) Overall Pattern: | solid blue with darker wingtips | |
| (Description:) Bill Type: | short, finch-like | |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
We followed this bird for some time as it moved to a couple of trees that were
right above where we were walking. It was a small bird with a finch-like beak,
bright blue feathers that were black on the wing tips. It's face was also darker
grey/black that faded into the blue of it's back and breast. It had dark legs.
What made this bird unique was it had very distinctly white tail feathers. This
made it very hard for us to identify, but we finally concluded that it must be a
slightly leucistic Indigo Bunting. (photos in YouTube video) |
|
| Song or call & method of delivery: | clear tweets while perched Listen to YouTube video | |
| Behavior: | It sat high in the tree and sang for a few minutes before it flew to the next tree and did the same thing. Finally it flew away. | |
| Habitat: | Tall trees along an abandoned road that bordered a wetland on one side and an open field on the other. | |
| Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
Blue Grossbeak - eliminated because of the size of
the beak Lazuli Bunting - eliminated because this bird had no brown coloration at all, and the Lazuli song it much more complex than this bird Blue Bunting - Utah not in range at all |
|
| Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
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| References consulted: | Audubon, iBird Pro HD (iPad), Peterson, whatbird.com forums | |
| Description from: | Notes made later | |
| Observer: | Rindee Sannar | |
| Observer's address: | 2378 E 1700 S, Spanish Fork, UT | |
| Observer's e-mail address: | ** | |
| Other observers who independently identified this bird: | Rick Sannar | |
| Date prepared: | 7/30/2012 | |
| Additional material: | YouTube video with the photographs | |
| Additional comments: | I compiled a YouTube video with the photographs I took along with the recording of the call. I have included the link in the Additional Materials section. | |