ID help please!

[Julie Brown]

Shot 9-11-11 at Eagle Creek Reservoir, Indianapolis, Indiana

Hint of buffy wing bars, short bill...A wild guess-immature flycatcher?

[Dan Brown]

Hi Julie. I don't think this is a flycatcher, the bill is short and conical like a finch. My guess is first fall Indigo Bunting. He/she is very young, based on the yellowish gape showing here. my 0.02.

[Paul Guris]

I'd go with immature Indigo Bunting as well. The clean buffy wing feather edges lean towards a young bird. The weak wingbars are normal for birds in the fall.

[Julie Brown]

I really would not have guessed Indigo Bunting. Thanks for looking, Dan and Paul!

[Dave Irons]

Hi Julie,

This is most certainly a hatch-year Indigo Bunting. If you look closely, you can still see the yellow at the base of the gape, which tells us that this is recently hatched/fledged bird. A couple years ago, I wrote a piece about nestling Western Kingbirds that discusses the function or presumed function of the bright yellow gape on young birds. http://www.birdfellow.com/journal/20...esting_routine

Dave Irons
Content Editor www.birdfellow.com

[Julie Brown]

Thanks for that link, Dave. I scanned the article and photos, but I will go back to it. BTW, I registered with Birdfellow. I like the site.