NE Pa Bird with White Neck Ring

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi

Saw a bird yesterday with a white neck ring, black cap on the head, about the size or a little bigger than a robin. This is in NE Pennsylvania. The Bird was on a branch over a canal by the Lehigh river. I do not really know birds at all and have never seen this one. Looking through the guide to birds I can not seem to find anything close. Any thoughts?

thanks

2

A kildeer, perhaps?

3

I can’t think of any bird that would match your description. However, a Belted Kingfisher in bad light could appear to have a blackish cap. (It’s actually bluish on the back.)

4

Well, let’s rule out some possibilities of birds that will be out and about at this time of year in your neighborhood.

The chickadee has a black cap and white around the back of the neck, but in front the white comes up on the face rather than being a ring and it not anywhere nearly as large as a robin.

The killdeer has multiple neck rings, but the top of the head is not black and I cannot imagine a (ground running plover) killdeer in a tree, although it is similar in size to a robin.

5

Kingfishers like to hang out above water, too. That was the first thing I thought of.

6

It might be an Eastern kingbird. They are a bit smaller than a robin, but they present a black-capped, white-ringed appearance.

7

Plus it’s called Tyrannus tyrannus – how cool is that?

8

I do not think it was a Killdeer, kingfisher or chickadee, perhaps the kingbird. Never saw one before. I have to go back and see if I can spot it again for a more descriptive look. What made me notice it in the first place was the very distictive white neck ring. The kingbird is on pg 194-5 of Peterson Eastern Birds but the pic does not show the neckband that shows in the link above.

thanks
Robz