Ugh. No head. Raise your hand: Who here likes headless birds? No. Not truly birds without heads, but views of birds in which the head is mostly or entirely obscured. We birders rely on heads, as there are so many excellent ID clues on heads, starting with bill shape, which is one of the most critical.

Despite the lack of a view of the bird’s head, this month’s quiz bird is perfectly identifiable, which is why it pays birders big time to study birds to learn the appearance of all parts.