I live in Northern California. Two small birds have made a nest under the eave of my house. They are about 8-9 in long, black with white bellies, and a small orange tuft near their necks. Their nest was made with mud, and they've laid 3 small, light pink speckled eggs in it. I feel like it's taking forever for them to hatch! I wanted to identify the birds so I can research how long it will take for the eggs to hatch. Can anyone help me identify them?
2006-07-17 10:28:12 · 7 answers · asked by amandalaine 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Thank you for your answer, but it is not a cormorant. It looks more like a sparrow. Back to square one! :(
2006-07-17 10:58:23 · update #1
I would guess that they are Eastern Kingbirds, they are black above, white below, with a small red tuft on thier head visble when they are displaying. Black Phoebe's do not have any colour on them so I doubt it is that. Check out this link to pictures and descriptions of the Eastern Kingbird, it says they also lay pinkish spotted eggs.
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/589/overview/Eastern_Kingbird_Breeding_Male.aspx
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/589/Behavior/Eastern_Kingbird_Breeding_Male.aspx
Hope this helps let me know if this is the bird you have seen!
2006-07-17 15:29:04 · answer #1 · answered by Kelly + Eternal Universal Energy 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is a Black Phoebe..not a cormorant. They typically build mud nests on man-made objects. They are in the family Tyrannidae and are flycatchers. Their eggs take 15-18 days to hatch.
2006-07-17 14:35:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds very much like black phoebes, which are not uncommon in Northern CA. They are black with white bellies, the white comes to a point on their breast; I've never noticed the orange tuft, though. They are flycatchers, and will often perch on a post, swoop out and catch an insect, and return to their perch. Eastern kingbirds are in the same genus, but would be pretty unheard of in CA.
I attached a link to photos of black phoebes; if that's not it, you can browse the other photos on CalPhotos, an all-around good site.
2006-07-17 16:24:31 · answer #3 · answered by candy2mercy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a cormorant, a native bird to California, as mentioned in the Island of the Blue Dolphins book I read as a child. Use these two links to help you:
www.iol.ie/~carigeen/cormorant.jpg
http://www.iol.ie/~carigeen/Wildlife.htm
2006-07-17 10:37:13 · answer #4 · answered by collegebutterfly73 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try looking at the illustration for Dicruridae at www.Wikipedia.com.
It looks like a perfect match for your description.
2006-07-17 14:41:09 · answer #5 · answered by Patrick M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is it one of these?
http://www.birdphotography.com
Check the swallows, sapsuckers and flycatchers first.
2006-07-17 13:15:43 · answer #6 · answered by Pseudo Obscure 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
evening grosbeaks
2006-07-17 15:26:36 · answer #7 · answered by PleiadesMom 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋