While I was unlocking my bike this morning, I heard a bang on the window of the apartment above me, then an object fell into the bush beside me. I thought someone had thrown something, but it turned out to be a little bird. I picked it up to see if it was ok, but it had broken its neck and died instantly.
I can’t remember seeing this bird around here (Waterloo, Ontario) before. We have a plethora of house sparrows, black-capped chickadees, American robins, blue jays, grackles, mourning doves, cardinals, finches and the occasional oriole, but this bird’s markings are unfamiliar to me. I tried doing a search on the common birds of the region, but no luck.
I took some photos of it:
On one photo, its beak appears red but that’s actually blood. The beak itself is a dark brown. It’s not visible from the photos, but the tail feathers are kind of a burnt sienna shade. Also, there are three fine black whiskers on each side of the beak, at the corners of the mouth. I think the bird may be some kind of flycatcher but I could be wrong.
Anybody know what it is?
