April 2018 Photo Quiz
Click photo to enlarge.
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of birders get exasperated, even give up, on a bird that plays hide-and-seek in vegetation. They seem to want to always get that “field-guide view.” As we all know, birds often provide only partial views of themselves – it is a survival trait. Rather than get upset and turn away, keep watching it. While one may never get a full, clear view of the bird, it may well show enough of the critical pieces to be able to confidently slap an ID on the bird. As in all birding, the more thoroughly one knows a species, the more likely it is that the hiding bird will reveal enough to make a firm ID. If any quiz takers here did not believe that before reading this quiz solution, hopefully they will firmly understand that after reading it. All of it.
Of course, here, while we could certainly ask for a less-obstructed view, we have nearly all the time we need to study the features visible, even if, perhaps, some of the features that we’d prefer to see are not visible. Again, though, we can take our time and tally what we do see, rather than moan about the bits that we don’t see. There is more than enough visible to make a certain identification.
Please submit the correct Common or English name exactly as it appears in the ABA Checklist.
Photos and answers are supplied by Tony Leukering, a freelance ornithologist based in the Tampa Bay area, with strong interests in bird migration, distribution, and identification. He has worked for four different bird observatories from coast to coast and considers himself particularly adept at taking quiz photos (that is, bad pictures!). Leukering is a member of the Colorado Bird Records Committee, and reviews Colorado and Wyoming eBird data. He is also interested in most everything else that flies, particularly moths and odonates.
