# Strange bird in the park--ID question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-in-the-park-id-question/477635
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 17, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-in-the-park-id-question/477635 "2008-12-17T21:14:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-in-the-park-id-question/477635/1 "2008-12-17T21:14:23Z")
This morning I saw a bird in a pine park near my house and I couldn’t identify the species. It was alone in a pine tree and it resembled an Oregon Junco (dark head, grayish back, off white undersides, and a pale bill.) However it was too small to be a junco; it was closer in size to a kinglet or bushtit (about 4 to 4.5 inches.) Neither kinglets nor bushtits have dark heads and I’m fairly certain it was not a chickadee or a nuthatch because they have white on their faces and also because it didn’t act like one of those. It hopped about in the tree making a high pitched chirp, then flew off to another tree where I lost sight of it. I think it’s been in the area for several days but this is the first time I’ve gotten a decent look at it.
As I can’t find it in the birds of North America field guide I’ve considered the possibility that it might be an escaped exotic. Any help would be appreciated.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-in-the-park-id-question/477635/2 "2008-12-17T21:37:02Z")
A small finchlike bird could well be some species of [munia.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munia) There are a lot of them, and many are kept as pets. Offhand I’m not sure if any the species in the pet trade in the US match the description of your bird.
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### Author:  [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-bird-in-the-park-id-question/477635/3 "2008-12-17T21:49:35Z")
[Pygmy Nuthatch](http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=335), rather than the more common Red-Breasted or White-Breated? The habitat, size, and noisiness fit, and in the right light the head might appear to be darker than the body.