Bird ID

[GotOne]

This bird showed up on our feeder for about 2 days...never to be seen again. Any ideas? I think someones pet got away.

[Steve Foss]

It looks like a badly diseased cardinal to me.

[GotOne]

Don't you think the beak looks like a tropical type bird? Also, the tail looks too long for a cardinal. At least, I think that what the googy bird looks like to me.

[Steve Foss]

The tail looks about right. The beak looks larger in proportion to the head than is typical for a cardinal because there are

no feathers on the head.

[art321]

I'd say a female Cardinal as well. Usually head mites cause the balding. It can vary in how much is lost. Some think the bird scratches most of the feathers away due to the itching and biting from the mites. It isn't deadly and the feathers will grow back but it does stress the bird and exposes the bird to the elements such as cold and rain as well as mosquitos that might carry West Nile virus. It certainly isn't advantageous to being selected by a mate either. We see a few of these every year around our place. Pretty common in the Cardinals and somtimes the Blue Jays.

[muc33]

I agree on the Adult Female thought as well. I agree it does have a tropical look though without the feathers, like a mini Tucan.

[GotOne]

You folks are great....looks like the correct call. I googled "cardinal's with mites" and you nailed it. Thanks.

[icehousebob]

Wrong,wrong,wrong.It's the very rare and almost never seen Miniature Tucan Vulture. Sorry, but its 3:30 am and I'm really bored here at work.

[art321]

Aside from your ducks/geese, upland birds and chickens, aren't baby birds just as ugly as heck. Even the adults stripped of their beautiful feathers are pretty scary looking. Little ugly dinosaurs.