Bird ID Help

[PixelRabbit]

Ok bird people can anyone ID this one? I want to say it's a Sharp Shinned Hawk that comes around once in a while because of the chest feathers but it was at an awkward angle in the tree after he bombed the feeders and lost a chase with a Junco, the body looks totally wrong.













Unfortunate miss but thought there may be some clues in the tail etc...

 

[PixelRabbit]

Hmmm maybe an American Kestrel? It was very small...

 

[sm4him]

First, let me say: My Hawk ID skills are nearly non-existent. There's Big Hawk, little hawk and merlins and kestrels. That's it.

It's not a Kestrel. I really don't think it's a Sharp-Shinned either. Those eyes don't look like either of them, and the coloration is wrong.

I'm not sure this is actually a hawk at all. Look at the way it's perched, more like a songbird. And that tail looks more like a songbird too.
Huh. I don't know, but I'm gonna look into it. I'll definitely learn something once we get an ID on this one.

EDIT: I believe that's a Northern Shrike. I thought it seemed a bit familiar.

EDIT of EDIT: Yeah, I'm almost certain that's a Northern Shrike. Look here for more info/pictures of one.
I've never seen a Shrike before! We have Loggerhead Shrikes here, but I've never found one.

 

[amolitor]

Based on monkeying around on bird ID web sites, I am going with some kind of a shrike. Loggerhead, or Northern?

ETA: I'm going with Northern based on the beak color.

 

[Overread]

It's not a sharp shinned hawk. Chest feathers have the creamy colour with darker bands; but otherwise its all wrong;

Beak is a bit too long; hooked but the SSH has a typical hawk like beak such as you'd see on a kestrel
Legs are too short, the SSH has quite long legs below the feathering; with typical large taloned feet (the photo bird only has shorter legs and also a much smaller set of fingers more akin to typical songbirds)
Facial and wing markings are totally wrong and this bird has a more bubble/rounded shape to its upper body (again like a song bird) instead of more elongated (more typical hawk like)
Eyes are far too dark with no clear yellowy surround and clearer pupil - although this can be something that gets lost in photos.
This bird has quite a clear black line behind its beak and running under the eye, the SSH doesn't show such a patterning on its face.


Sadly I don't have a USA songbirds ID book so can't tell what kind it is; but its not a hawk.
(Helm makes some good ID books for birds - Raptors of the World is a heavy, but great book for raptor identification)

 

[limr]

I identify it as a Fluffy Birdie of the Painfully Cute variety.

(I'm useless here.)

 

[JacaRanda]

Yuppers, yours is an immature Northern Shrike. Northern Shrike, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology as mentioned. Click on picture 5 of 7.

 

[amolitor]

The raptor beak on the songbird body makes these little buggers kind of stand out.

 

[Overread]

I did wonder if the beak were adapted either for some kind of nut or such or if it were a hunter of dragonflies, butterflies or similar insects. Interesting to read that it actually hunts small mammals and birds

 

[JTPhotography]

Yep, a shrike, around here we call them Butcher Birds. They catch prey, frogs and mice and such, and impale them on a thorn or wire fence, then come feast on them later.

 

[PixelRabbit]

I knew I asked in the right place Definitely an immature Northern Shrike, it is a totally new bird to me and damn is it cool! I just couldn't wrap my head around it's behaviour and it's shape lol I knew the Blue Jays eat mice, when the squeaky toys stop squeaking around here I toss them out on a platform feeder and they never last long, if a crow doesn't get it a Jay will.

This guy put on a pretty impressive show, he bombed the feeders and crashed into the bushes beside it, went in the bushes and shot out the top on the tail of a Junco who got away, he landed in this tree to rest before carrying on, it was way cool!

Looking forward to seeing more of it and hopefully it's parents!

 

[kundalini]

I don't think it's a Shrike. Their mask covers the upper and lower eye in a defined black. This photo has it mainly below.