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Dawn Chorus - I'm a girl watcher [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-02-02

I thought I’d add something new to enhance today’s Chorus. A song popped into my head when I was looking through my files of female bird species. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to the tunes I’ve inserted as you browse the usually unnoticed female members of my avian world.

Bird identification can be challenging enough when species look similar. It can become harder when one has to consider that some females will look like a non-related species. Here are many of the females I have gathered during the last few years that support my point.

female Anhinga — Anhinga anhinga, markings are the same as the immature birds

The rich orange tones and bold stripes of a Baltimore Oriole and Orchard Oriole are absent in the females.

Baltimore Oriole — Icterus galbula, female, non-breeding plumage

female Orchard Oriole — Icterus spurius, breeding plumage

Those dark blue markings of Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting and American Bluebird are missing in the female.

female Blue Grosbeak — Passerina caerulea, breeding plumage

female Indigo Bunting — Passerina cyanea, non-breeding plumage

female American Bluebird — Sialia sialis, breeding plumage

Many birds that have striking red plumage in the males (Christmas card favorites) have mates with completely different coloration.

female Scarlet Tanager — Piranga olivacea, breeding plumage

female Northern Cardinal — Cardinalis cardinalis, breeding plumage

female Summer Tanager — Piranga rubra, breeding plumage

Even where a hint of red indicates the sex of a species, it is lacking in the females of these species.

female Downy Woodpecker — Picoides pubscens, breeding pllumage

female Northern Flicker (yellow shaft) — Colaptes auratus

A bright flash of yellow is found in the male Goldfinch, Pine Warbler, Boblink and Common Yellowthroat. The females have only a hint of those shades.

female American Goldfinch — Spinus tristis, non-breeding plumage

female Pine Warbler — Setophaga pinus, breeding plumage

female Boblink — Dolichonyx oryzivorus, breeding plumage

female Common Yellowthroat — Geothlypis trichas, breeding plumage



The next group of girls lack the bold markings of the males they mate with.

female House Finch — Haemorphous mexicanus, breeding plumage

female Bufflehed — Bucephala albeola, non-breeding plumage

female Red-winged Blackbird — Agelaius phoeniceus, breeding plumage

female Hooded Merganser — Lophodytes cucullatus, non-breeding plumage

Not just hue differences but the lack of iridescence is noted in some species.

female Ruby-throated Hummingbird — Archilochus colubris, breeding plumage

female Tree Swallow — Tachycineta bicolor, breeding plumage

female European Starling — Sturmus vulguris, non-breeding plumage

A few other species to round out today’s selection. These birds look similar to their mates but without the deep rich colors.

female Eastern Towhee — Pipilo erythophthalmus, breeding plumage

female Chipping Sparrow — Spizella passerina, breeding posture

female Dark-eyed Junco (Slate Shade) — Junco hyermalis, breeding plumage

female Eastern Meadowlark — Sturnella magna, non-breeding plumage

female Rusty Blackbird — Euphagus carolinus, breeding plumage



I’ll round out this diary with a few breeds that are so similar in color that the only way to (field id) determine the sex of the animal is by size or behavior. Watching any couple together is worth the time even if you don’t care which is the male or female.

Bald Eagles

Tufted Titmouse

Sandhill Cranes

Red-headed Woodpecker

Willet

Mourning Dove

Turkey Vulture

I hope this diary has entertained and given some insight into those feathered girls of the sky. I encourage you to show your own favorite girly shots.

*****

I will be on the road today (family stuff in the works). When I return, I hope to engage with everyone that comments. I also wanted to talk about banded migrating geese. Found this photo among my January photo files.

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