Hi Tom,

Yellowhammer is the name of a finch in eurasia with a bright yellow head.
When europeans settled in North America, the often called birds that had
similar characteristics by the same name. This is how the American Robin
ended up being called a robin and not a thrush. The european Robin has an
orange breast like ours, but is about the size of a Bewick's Wren.

The bird in question, may be a Yellow-headed Blackbird. It has been call a
yellowhammer before. If I remember correctly, a town in Minnesota was
named after the abundance of these birds. It is not called Yellowheaded
Blackbird, but instead, Yellowhammer.

Russell

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Russell Rogers
4510 Glenn Way SW
Seattle, WA 98116
(206) 935-6280
rrogers at halcyon.com
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On Sat, 14 Feb 1998, Tom Besser wrote:

>
> Tweeters,
>
> I'm curious about a bird reference. I'm reading J. Anthony Lukas' new book
> "Big Trouble" about labor and politics in Idaho at the turn of the century
> (the last one). Frank Steunenberg, the ex-governor, was just killed by a
> bomb at his front gate.
>
> Lukas: "On a nearby lawn, Sheriff Angus Sutherland of Shoshone County
> found a dead yellowhammer, a bird with brilliant yellow and blue feathers,
> perfect in every particular but blown from the skies by the blast. The
> sheriff took the bird home to mount it on his mantelpiece. Considering its
> beauty and the circumstances of its death, he wouldn't take fifty dollars
> for it." Lukas, of course references this: Idaho Daily Statesman January
> 1, 1906, page1.
>
> So, what's a yellowhammer? I wondered about a flicker, but the blue
> feathers don't sound right, and would anyone really mount a flicker on
> their mantelpiece?
>
> Tom Besser
> besser at turbonet.com
> Moscow, Idaho
>
>