Photo
grrlscientist | July 10, 2010tags: Green Barbet, Stactolaema olivacea, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Green Barbet, Stactolaema olivacea, photographed at Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 10 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 200-400 VR lens at 400 mm., ISO 800, 1/640 sec, f/7.1.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | July 9, 2010tags: White-winged Scoter, Melanitta deglandi, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] White-winged Scoter, Melanitta deglandi, photographed at Bodega Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 12 May 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/500s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
The White-winged Scoter, Melanitta deglandi, a large black duck of coastal waters which is the largest of all the scoters. This species breeds farther…
stoat | July 9, 2010
Isn't it lovely (it isn't new. The pic is from 1999 and I've seen it before. But seeing it on someone's wiki page reminded me). Far better than a Green Hornet.
Or maybe you'd rather listen to the wabbit.
[Update: see various comments. The situation is more complex than I though, and possibly not fully understood. See-also cute pix here -W]
sb admin | July 8, 2010After hosting blogs for four years, it's about time I started my own. So, welcome!
Let me begin with a bit about me and what I believe.
I believe that science has the unique potential to improve the state of the world. I think this potential is being hindered today by a lack of science literacy around the world and by the largely closed and restricted nature of the world's scientific information. Two connected topics (ie. Science Literacy and Open Science) that I care passionately about and will delve deep into on this blog. I also believe that science can be more than a subject; it can be a…
grrlscientist | July 6, 2010tags: Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus, photographed in China Camp State Park, Point San Pedro Peninsula, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 11 May 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This bird has a very unusual behavior that is a response to the availability of its primary food supply. Can you tell…
grrlscientist | July 5, 2010tags: Black-throated Sparrow, Desert Sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Black-throated Sparrow, also known (erroneously) as the Desert Sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata, photographed in Falcon State Park, Falcon Heights, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This species has one character that sets it apart from all others…
grrlscientist | July 4, 2010tags: Zitting Cisticola, Streaked Fantail Warbler, Cisticola juncidis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Zitting Cisticola, sometimes known as the Streaked Fantail Warbler,Cisticola juncidis, photographed at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 20 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens with 1.4 extender ISO 400, f/8, 1/1000 sec.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This African mystery bird has the largest range of any of its congeners and its range…
grrlscientist | July 3, 2010tags: Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus, Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus (background: Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus), photographed at the Ndutu Safari Lodge, near Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 21 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender ISO 800, f/5.6 1/400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Since this African mystery bird is easy to…
grrlscientist | July 2, 2010tags: Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana, photographed in Wilsall, Montana. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Ron Shimek [larger view].
Olympus OM-10 in an Ikelite Housing, Kodachrome 64 film.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This stunning mystery bird is more than "eye candy"; there is something special about this bird's breeding habits that set it apart from all its congeners, can you tell me what that is?
The Western Tanager breeds…
grrlscientist | July 1, 2010tags: Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, photographed at Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 28 November 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This challenging-to-ID-from-this-image mystery bird has a special foraging ability that other members of this family lack. Can you tell me what that…
grrlscientist | June 30, 2010tags: Cave Swallow, Petrochelidon fulva, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] A young-of-the-year Cave Swallow, Petrochelidon fulva, photographed at Chambers County, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 June 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/500s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This mystery bird species is extremely local and seasonal in the southernmost portion of the USA, nesting in very limited numbers only in…
grrlscientist | June 29, 2010tags: Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Newly hatched Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus, photographed at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 June 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Newly-hatched baby birds of this mystery bird species have a remarkable ability, can you tell me what that is?…
grrlscientist | June 28, 2010tags: King Rail, Marsh Hen, Freshwater Marsh Hen, Rallus elegans, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] King Rail, also known as the Marsh Hen or the Freshwater Marsh Hen, Rallus elegans, photographed at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 May 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Today's Mystery Bird seems a bit confused about its own identity,…
grrlscientist | June 27, 2010tags: Green Wood-Hoopoe, Red-billed Wood Hoopoe, Phoeniculus purpureus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Green Wood-Hoopoe, formerly known as the Red-billed Wood Hoopoe, Phoeniculus purpureus, photographed in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 18 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens with 1.4 extender ISO 500, f/5.6, 1/250 sec.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This mystery bird species has a remarkable breeding strategy, can you tell me what…
grrlscientist | June 26, 2010tags: Village Indigobird, Vidua chalybeata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Village Indigobird, Vidua chalybeata, photographed in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 17 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens with 1.4 extender ISO 500, f/8, 1/1000 sec.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This Old World genus of birds is filled with species that have a very close relationship with another species of bird -- can you tell me the nature of that…
grrlscientist | June 25, 2010tags: Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, photographed zigzagging rapidly roughly 15m below the waves off the south side of Alki Point, Seattle, Washington. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Ron Shimek [larger view].
Olympus OM-10 in an Ikelite Housing, Kodachrome 64 film.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This poorly-known mystery bird species has two remarkable behaviors that are thought to reduce predation at the nest -- what…
grrlscientist | June 24, 2010tags: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, photographed at Monterey Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 May 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Can you tell me something remarkable about this mystery bird's beak/mouth?
The pelican's gullet pouch really can "hold more than its belly can" (as claimed…
grrlscientist | June 23, 2010tags: Western Scrub-jay, California Jay, Aphelocoma californica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Western Scrub-jay, also known as the California Jay, Aphelocoma californica, photographed at Bodega Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 23 December 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This mystery bird species performs a remarkable behavior that has intrigued scientists and even…
grrlscientist | June 22, 2010tags: Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] newly hatched Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, photographed at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 1 June 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This cute little bird was or will be, at some point during its youth, protected by a spectacular display by one of its parents. Can…
grrlscientist | June 21, 2010tags: Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, photographed at Galveston Island East Beach, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 1 June 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This species is comprised of a seemingly homogeneous population of birds. However, scientists have recently found that this species shows some geographic variation…