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Thread: American Goldfinch?

  1. #1
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    Default American Goldfinch?

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    Shot in Spring Hill, Florida (40 miles north of Tampa) and I got the picture last week.

    I saw an American Goldfinch in the area -- and this fellow came within range. My id trouble is due to the color and shape of the beak. The body resembles American Goldfinch but the beak is a puzzler to me.

    Thanks for your help.

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    Scott,

    It appears to me that the beak is deformed. The upper mandible being shorter than the lower mandible. Other than that it is an American Goldfinch in non-breeding plumage.

    Jim

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    OK Scott- here's an hypothesis- AMGOs have light-coloured bills and you can see this in the lower mandible just above the chin. So the hypothesis is that the black thing that looks like the bill is actually a black sunflower seed shell.

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    Here is an image of a AMGO taken in my backyard in Spokane, WA in 2004. This birds is in non-breeding plumage and has a dark bill. When in breeding plumage the bill is an orange-yellow. Your bird may be eating a Black Oil Sunflower seed as John has pointed out.

    Jim

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