I know the answer but here we go. Time for a fun quiz/learning experience.


I found this feather in my backyard this morning. It measures a shade under 7" long by 2 1/8" wide. The colors of the feather are pretty accurate but I would like to mention that when held by the tip and rotated side to side it does have a slight tan sheen to it.
Any ideas???

Hawk?

Very good pirl! You are just too sharp! Now for the kicker, which one?

Cooper's Hawk?

Very good pirl. Goodness you are good! I thought that this might have been tougher?!

This immature bird has been raiding my feeders picking off English Sparrows and Dumb Doves!!!"

It's one of the very few I know. I took bad photos of one in the garden and recognized the tail feathers - just luck!

This seems to be the forum for identification of birds, so perhaps the wise bird experts can help me label this little fellow that's been coming with his "gang" to bathe in my make shift birdbath. It is the size of a sparrow, but the feathering is so fluffy, and unusual. My location is zone 5, but I am near wildlife sanctuary acreage, so the birds may be just passing by. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

That is a male English Sparrow. Also known as a House Sparrow. Females are all brown without any black.

Fleur569 said:This seems to be the forum for identification of birds, so perhaps the wise bird experts can help me label this little fellow that's been coming with his "gang" to bathe in my make shift birdbath. It is the size of a sparrow, but the feathering is so fluffy, and unusual. My location is zone 5, but I am near wildlife sanctuary acreage, so the birds may be just passing by. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

A non breeding male house sparrow Fleur.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...

@BigBill, @flaflwrgrl: I am so impressed with your knowledge. Thank you so much.

Don't forget that this helped pay the bills for 38 years! Bird identification and such. But I have been enjoying birds for about 60 years.

Later this week I am planning on going to photograph Sandhills Cranes and anything else I can find from a Nature Center boardwalk about 45 minutes from here.

Any photos Bill?

This crane was in the path ahead of me this past June. I just had my cellphone as I was scouting out a new trail.
She/he was 50+ feet away. It was searching for food while waiting for handouts. After about 10 minutes it ambled over to me as I sat on the bench. I was so excited. Conditions were difficult to say the least. But here it is.
Now that my computer is fixed, I'll be posting images like crazy starting in late October or so. I do have images on the Canon 5D MarkIV so stay tuned.


These three were at the golf cart return in September 2020!

I lived in Michigan for years and the sandhills would visit the fields behind our house
beautiful birds but noisy
I still see them here in Indiana but only flying overhead.