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Posted by Brian Rapoza on 14:32:03 11/09/09
In Reply to: Re: Photos of the White-crowned sparrow posted by Ann Wiley
Apologies, Ann, for the misidentification. Several things led to my mistake:
1) I was getting ready for bed, since I had to get up at 2:45 the next morning to take some friends to the airport.
2) The photo you sent me was of a size that could only be viewed in its entirety on an IMAX screen.
3) In my rush to send you a reply, I incorrectly concluded that the photo of an immature White-crowned Sparrow (Figure 47.2 on page 221) in Sparrows of the United States and Canada, by David Beadle and James Rising, looked close enough to your bird to end my research before considering any exotics.
When Trey called me last night, doubts began to enter my mind and I knew that it would be only a matter of time before someone stepped forward to correctly identify the bird. Now that I've looked at page 192 of A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele et al, I can see that your bird is in fact a female Pin-tailed Whydah. This is a species that I've only seen once, on 3/30/04 in Laguna Cartegena, Puerto Rico, where it is also an introduced species. I believe the individual seen was also a female, but my memory could be failing me.
Finally, Ann, thanks for the compliment. I'm flattered that you think I'm adorable. ;)
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