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| Common name: |
Hooded Oriole |
|
| Scientific name: | Icterus cusullatus | |
| Date: | 7 July 2012 | |
| Time: | 11:00 a.m. | |
| Length of time observed: | 15 minutes | |
| Number: | 1 | |
| Age: | 1 year? | |
| Sex: | male | |
| Location: | Woodland Hills | |
| County: | Utah | |
| Latilong: | 40�01'05.94"N 111�39'17.93"W | |
| Elevation: | 5483 feet | |
| Distance to bird: | 20 feet | |
| Optical equipment: | eye, binoculars, camera | |
| Weather: | clear | |
| Light Conditions: | bright | |
| Description: Size of bird: | slightly smaller than the towhees and blackheaded grosbeaks common here | |
| (Description:) Basic Shape: | ||
| (Description:) Overall Pattern: | yellow with black bib and black wings with a white slash | |
| (Description:) Bill Type: | thin and slightly curved | |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
basically a bright yellow. black wings with a white bar. tips of the wings grey. the black of the wings stretches across the shoulders in a band. black bib from eyes over throat onto chest. black tail with some white markings fairly long, thin, curved beak. (see photos) |
|
| Song or call & method of delivery: | didn't hear this | |
| Behavior: | fleeing hummingbirds when we first saw it, presumably because it had used their feeder. | |
| Habitat: | scrub oak and maple | |
| Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
Elimination: we thought first we might be seeing a Western
Tanager, but there was no red. We also thought it might be an American Goldfinch, but there was no black on the forehead and the black bib was different and the bird was slightly larger than the goldfinch and the bill was distinctly different. We have seen Bullock's Orioles here and thought it might be one of them, but the bib was much more distinct and there was no black on the head and the beak was longer and thinner. |
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| Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
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| References consulted: |
Sibley's Bird Guide, which doesn't list central Utah as the bird's range. Internet photos, some of which were very much like our photos. |
|
| Description from: | From memory | |
| Observer: | Scott Abbott and Lyn Bennett | |
| Observer's address: | 125 Vista Circle, Woodland Hills, UT | |
| Observer's e-mail address: | ** | |
| Other observers who independently identified this bird: |
there were two of us: Scott Abbott and Lyn Bennett |
|
| Date prepared: | 9 June 2012 | |
| Additional material: | Photos | |
| Additional comments: | ||