Hi. This is Daniel Bastaja posting for Thur. Oct. 31st, 2002. I thought I
would throw in my two cents worth after viewing the excellent photos of the
mystery blackbird that Mike Patterson posted on the internet. I ain't no
expert on Great-tailed Grackles but I have seen them twice in British
Columbia and this bird doesn't look like one. It doesn't even look like a
Common Grackle. The head and beak shape is all wrong for a Grackle. To me,
the colouration and shape look just like a Brewer's Blackbird, only the bird
is much larger. So my vote goes for a hybrid between a Brewer's X Common
Grackle or possibly a Brewer's X Great-tailed (or maybe a Brewer's on
steroids). I don't see anything unusual in the colouration. I see lots of
Brewer's in the winter....I presume juvenile males.....that have the black
body and wings and brownish head and upper back but that doesn't mean there
is any Cowbird in them. Perhaps not as rich brown as this bird but, to me,
the colouration looks like typical Brewer's. I have even seen some with the
faint stripe over the eye like this bird appears to have in the photo.
Regards,
Daniel Bastaja
Maple Ridge, B.C. Canada
e-mail: birdingfaqs at hotmail.com





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