According to Eric, the bird appears to be wild, is wary of humans and has undamaged and unworn feathers.
Apparently, it has been singing frequently along the first 100yds of the trail and staying hunkered low in the brush. Paul was good enough to post the photos of it that were taken today. There are currently ONLY two records of this bird in the USA which means this one will probably undergo substantial scrutiny. My guess? Since it's in perfect condition, is wary of people, acts like a wild bird, it's wild and therefore legit. This is sounding like Brown-backed Solitaire all over again. We shall see what the records committee says when this is finally submitted. --Chris W, sitting at home in Madison, WI itching to head out and see this thing........ On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 9:31 PM, Bob Fisher <[email protected]> wrote: > There are at least two previous records of Orange-billed Nightingale > Thrush in the U.S. > > One was mist-netted during banding operations at Laguna Atascosa NWR, S. > TX, April 8, 1996. The second was found dead below a window in Edinburg, > Hidalgo County, TX May 28, 2004. > > Wikipedia has the following to say about it: > > The *Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush* (*Catharus aurantiirostris*) is a > species of bird <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird> in the > Turdidae<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turdidae>family. It is found in > Colombia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia>, Costa > Rica<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rica>, > El Salvador <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador>, > Guatemala<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala>, > Honduras <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honduras>, > Mexico<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico>, > Nicaragua <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua>, > Panama<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama>, > Trinidad and Tobago <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_and_Tobago>, > and Venezuela <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuela>. Its natural > habitats <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat> are subtropical or > tropical dry forests <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest>, subtropical or > tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist > montane<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montane>forests, and heavily degraded > former forest. > > There is a nice photo of one, taken in Sonora, Mexico (i.e. the Mexican > state adjoining Arizona) at > http://www.birds.cornell.edu/bigyear/photo-gallery/1/orangebillnightingale_clock.jpg/view > > If the bird got to the Black Hills of South Dakota under his own power, > he was very badly lost. > > > Bob Fisher > Independence, MO > [email protected] > > > > --- > Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members > make it! > --- > Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: > Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 > --- > This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. > Membership available on-line at > http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/membership.asp. > ----- > You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected] > -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto [email protected] --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/membership.asp. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
