tags: Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus, photographed at roughly 9am in the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana. [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours]
Image: Bardiac, 7 June 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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tags: birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
tags: conservation, endangered species,
Family Guy, S07E02 'I Dream of Jesus':
Peter: Brian, can I see that paper for a sec?
(Brian gives Peter the paper. Peter peruses the paper.)
Peter: Huh... that's odd... I thought that would big news.
oh, it's Jim. I was wondering where he got to. I was waiting for him by the pond for 2 hours yesterday, and he never showed up.
To be honest, I'm a bit surprised he wasn't photographed in a bar.
I'm going with sharp-tailed grouse for this one. The plumage looks about right when I zoom in for the larger view, and the location would seem to exclude the two prairie-chickens.
I agree with the Sharp-tailed call. Prairie Chickens are all barred underneath (even if the location didn't rule them out). This is in eastern Montana, with little if anything in the way of woods, so even without the plumage we can rule out Blue, Spruce, and Ruffed Grouse. And a Pheasant would have a longer bill, and would lack the streaking underneath. I believe the red just above the lores is also a mark against Pheasant.