Answer to Photo Quiz 4: Congratulations to Marcel, Ali, Joel, and Chris. Gray Kingbird is the correct answer for the previously mentioned reasons. Time to take your pulse: have the quizzes been too easy, too hard, or just right? What do you want to see more of (shorebirds, flycatchers…)? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Photo Courtesy of Andy Bankert
I believe this bird is an ELEGANT TROGON.
This colorful bird has a short, stubby, yellow bill; green head and breast; bright red belly; thin white band separating the green breast from the red belly; and long black and white banded tail. Those field marks match an ELEGANT TROGON. Similar species: Eared Quetzal.
Good Birding!
Joel Such
To answer your question, I think the quizzes are about right for the young birder blog. To my relief, they are definitely easier than Tony Leukering’s CFO quizzes. This current quiz is an outrageous exception. I’d label this one “extremely, super-duper easy.” I have to agree with my brother … it is an Elegant Trogan. Although, if the photograph was taken out of the ABA area, it could be something different.
~Marcel
Well, if this is an Elegant Trogon, and the quiz is thus limited to the ABA Area, I think this quiz would be too easy. Given that some of the previous quizzes have been a little trickier than this, I’m not convinced that this is as simple as it looks. There are several Elegant-like Trogons in the tropics – particularly Mountain, Collared, and Masked. Mountain and Masked can be eliminated by the under-tail pattern (Mountain doesn’t have much barring; Masked would have thicker white tips). Also, Mountain Trogons lack white edges to the primaries. Separating photographs of Collared from Elegant… Read more »
We agree with John, if this photo was taken out of the ABA area, it would be a COLLARED TROGON based on the distinctive tail barring. If it is in the ABA area, we’re limited to the Elegant Trogon, unless we somehow missed hearing about “this” record bird.
~Marcel and Joel
There are only two Trogons I would consider for this. Elegant and Collared. The rather dense tail barring appears to be inconsistent for Elegant. However, taking a look at the wing, it is not also barred like we would expect on a Collared Trogon. Adult Collared Trogons also have rather narrow white tips on their tail feathers. Unless it’s an immature bird. This bird, in all other aspects, appears to be an adult. Therefore, this has to be an adult male ELEGANT TROGON. If one could see the top of the tail, we could tell for certain. Collared has a… Read more »
In response to your question, I think the quizzes are slightly on the easy side. They could be slightly harder. (I know, I provided a few of the photos myself, but still.) Marcel, It’s not that Tony’s quizzes are hard. It’s the fact that his photos are complete JUNK. Seriously, I don’t know how he self-appointed himself to the ABA photo quiz staff, but if you read, he considers himself to be good at taking “bad” photos. The whole point though, is that his photos ARE BAD! He’s an awful photographer. I wouldn’t dare post photos that crappy looking. Take… Read more »
Hi Chris, I agree the quizzes are on the easy side, but the intended audience is young birders of all levels. The ABA quiz is for a more general audience and the CFO quiz is directed at hard core, experienced birders. In regards to Tony’s quizzes, I was not referring to the ABA quiz, but the Colorado Field Ornithologists’ quiz (CFO), which is often very hard. Sometimes the photographs are great and sometimes they are not, but he has his reasons for using them. For example, sometimes you are only getting a poorly lit view or a weird angle or… Read more »
Marcel, I understand what you mean. I was using the ABA quiz only as an example. In that last quiz (the Cape May Warbler) you really can’t rule out Pine Warbler from the given photo. I have nothing against Tony, I don’t doubt his knowledge or anything and some of his photos are decent, but I think his choice of “quiz” photos is poor. In a quiz photo, the ID field marks should be clear enough that when pointed out properly, nobody can doubt the ID. They can be as small as detailed as you like, but they have to… Read more »
When you are really out birding, do you see all the field marks a field guide says you should? Probably not. In some situations, you may get a blurry, poorly lighted view, just as in some photo quizzes. In my humble opinion, it’s ok if a photo quiz does not show every key field mark, although a few would be nice. I think what really matters is that we can ID something based off what we do have and put it into convincing words (as opposed to saying it was based off of GIS). To say that something has been… Read more »
Saraiya, this photo has started quite an argument. 😀 The “Oddball” birds tend to be hybrids and or weird plumages or discolored feathers, ect. Most birds (especially non Laridae species) display almost perfectly what is described in field guides. I’m not asking for “every” key field mark to be there, but there has to be at least one field mark (as there is on every bird, some species require more) that is characteristic of that species and that species only. If this field mark is not displayed, it leaves too much room for debate. Do I see every field mark… Read more »
[cough] regarding this photo….
Collared Trogon, as the undertail pattern is off for Elegant.
I like the quiz level. I think it’s manageable for not-as-advanced young birders, but also appealing to more experienced YBs.
Collared Trogon. This bird definatly does not have the tail pattern of an Elegant. As for the whole thing regarding the photo itself, how many times do you see a bird in perfect lighting, sunny conditions, bird ten feet away, etc. Lets face it, we will all have to let a bird go unidentified if it doesn’t show the easy field marks sometime. If we focus on the finer field marks that they are showing, it might help us to ID the bird and will make us better birders for future encounters with similar species.