# Bird ID, please - SE Vermont **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653 "2012-07-09T00:48:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653/21 "2012-07-12T02:25:13Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > …My off the cuff guess is that you saw a rose-breasted grossbeak and just didn’t have the right angle to see the red… Hmm. Other than the red (which I’m sure I would’ve seen, as I did get a pretty good look at the two birds), the rose-breasted grossbeak kinda does look like them. > **[rose-breasted grossbeak - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&q=rose-breasted%2Bgrossbeak&oq=rose-breasted%2Bgrossbeak&gs_l=img.3..0i10i33l6j0i5i10i24j0i10i33i24.819.819.0.1738.1.1.0.0.0.0.58.58.1.1.0...0.0.puQp9lyexNg&biw=1032&bih=762&sei=_zT-T4ChHMWmrQH3go2LCQ)** ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653/22 "2012-07-12T14:03:06Z")
How about a female [Black Backed Woodpecker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-backed_Woodpecker)? You may also want to examine [List of Birds in Vermont](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Vermont). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653/23 "2012-07-12T15:31:58Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > How about a female [Black Backed Woodpecker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-backed_Woodpecker)?.. That woodpecker has a distinct resemblance, too. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653/24 "2012-07-12T16:37:58Z")
I was going to go through all the shorebirds I could find, just based on your mallard-head-and-feathers-out-the-back description. Now I see you’re leaning towards a woodpecker or grosbeak. Let’s end this foolishness now; Behold, the [Rufous](http://files.myopera.com/cofoppyplop/albums/370476/1Female%20Rufous-sided%20Towhee.jpg)-sided [Towhee](http://www.google.com/search?q=rufous+sided+towhee&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADSA_en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=SPn-T9PBKYmC8ATc0-XmBg&ved=0CEUQ_AUoAQ&biw=1032&bih=556) Eh? Eh? What do I win? Source: Roger Tory Peterson: [Eastern Birds](http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/hmh/site/hmhbooks/bookdetails?isbn=9780395963715) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653/25 "2012-07-12T17:04:16Z")
Nope, neither of the two birds I saw had any red at all. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653/26 "2012-07-12T19:50:56Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Hmm. Other than the red (which I’m sure I would’ve seen, as I did get a pretty good look at the two birds), the rose-breasted grossbeak kinda does look like them. > > [rose-breasted grossbeak - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&q=rose-breasted+grossbeak&oq=rose-breasted+grossbeak&gs_l=img.3..0i10i33l6j0i5i10i24j0i10i33i24.819.819.0.1738.1.1.0.0.0.0.58.58.1.1.0...0.0.puQp9lyexNg&biw=1032&bih=762&sei=_zT-T4ChHMWmrQH3go2LCQ) Check out that site again. The female rose-breasted grosbeak does not have any red. Neither does the male in non-breeding plumage; however, breeding plumage is from Mar to Aug. Possibly a female rose-breasted? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bird-id-please-se-vermont/627653.md?page=1)