![\"mystery](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/mystery-bird-5833-ron-dudley.jpg\")
1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nI photographed this bird a year ago today at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Do you recognize it? In my experience from being in the field with other photographers and posting photos of this bird on my blog, many do not (although seasoned birders should have no trouble with\u00a0it).<\/p>\n
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A hint is provided by the habitat – cattails.<\/p>\n
This is a female\u00a0Red-winged Blackbird. Females in definitive basic plumage are mottled brown above and heavily streaked below with a prominent eye stripe and pinkish chin and throat. I believe that part of the reason for the\u00a0difficulties some have with\u00a0identifying the female is that the sexes are so strongly dimorphic in color and size (males are larger). The male is one of the most easily recognized of all North American birds but the female is so very different from the male\u00a0that many don’t think to associate the two.<\/p>\n
For some this bird would be just another LBJ (little brown job) but I thought she deserves a proper common name…<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
Note\u00a0– for now I’m leaving the tags and categories off of this post because they appear at the bottom of my post email notifications and they would give away the ID. I’ll add them later (if I remember…)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This species is perhaps the most abundant bird of North America but some of its members go unrecognized by many novice birders and photographers.<\/p>\n