Speckled warbler?

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heva1
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Speckled warbler?

This was taken yesterday in Beaufort Vic. after scouring my bird bird I'm wondering is it a speckled warbler? It was alone, perched in a tree initially then on ground foraging. About the size of a thrush. Any ideas?

DenisWilson
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Hi Heva!
We had one of these on another thread a few days ago.
Top bird is a juvenile Grey Shrike Thrush. So you were approximately right about size with your comment "about the size of a thrush" (though Shrike Thrushes are not related to the old world Thrushes. Just look similar. It is called "convergent evolution" - unrelated birds fill similar niches in the ecology, and eat similar food, and so develop similar shaped body and beak, etc.)
Second group of images are of White-winged Chough, as you thought.
Cheers
Denis

heva1
heva1's picture

Hi denis, I got a shot of a grey shrike thrush in Kings canyon on my Alice trip a few weeks back ... but I didn't think they looked the same, the one yesterday had quite a rufous 'eyebrow' and a rufous strip on the wing... I'm not doubting you for a minute!! just surprised they look quite different :)

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best

DenisWilson
DenisWilson's picture

Hi Heva
You are right that they look different in the minor details. But it is a juvenile bird.
Whistlers and Shrike Thrushes tend to have rufous eyebrows and wing patches at the juvenile stage.
Check out my comments and my link to my image of just such a bird on my own blog. Plus look at Al's image on this other thread.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/forum/messages.cfm?threadid=E0FFF80C-A7D2-8249-9D594E594415595E
Also, please look up the Birds in Backyards bird finder for this species.
The BiBY site says: "young birds have varying amounts of rufous on the cheeks and wings." That fits.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=17
Cheers
Denis

DenisWilson
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By the way, Speckled Warblers are small birds. About one quarter of the size of this bird (in body weight). Half as long. The GST is regarded as a medium sized bird - amongst the "bush birds".
Denis

heva1
heva1's picture

ah yes, I understand now. I checked out Biby ... how do I check out previous thread? tried cut n paste... no luck... what was the title of the thread? was it under bird ID?

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best

DenisWilson
DenisWilson's picture

If you go to the website (follow the clickable link at top of email advice), then you will find that the link is clickable. I just tested it.
Failing that, it ought be able to be cut and pasted.
Here it is again - just the url.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=17
Or try this one which will will appear on the website as a clickable link:
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=17
If copying from an email, do not copy the [url] marks - they are just for the website "mark-up" language used on this site.
Cheers
Denis

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