# What 6' tall bird did I just see in Madison? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233 "2012-09-29T14:34:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/41 "2012-09-30T18:45:19Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > It sounds like Big Bird and Big Foot had big fun in the barn. I nominate this for Post of the Month. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/42 "2012-10-01T16:35:04Z")
My bet is on sandhill cranes. Iā€™ve seen them in unexpected places around Madison for years. Maybe they were molting or something to account for the darker coloration. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/43 "2012-10-01T18:06:09Z")
[Rhea?](http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=1al&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1040&bih=748&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=gXGX166BXQ7kKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.jdmpics.com/rhea-2.htm&docid=EShe8Pln-kZN-M&imgurl=http://www.jdmpics.com/animals/rhea-2.jpg&w=378&h=305&ei=o9ppUIOuL6f20gGthYH4Dg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=132&vpy=375&dur=520&hovh=202&hovw=250&tx=121&ty=68&sig=100551172159995583899&page=1&tbnh=164&tbnw=218&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:155) > [@](#): > > Rheas are large, flightless birds with gray-brown plumage, long legs and long necks, similar to an ostrich. Large males of R. americana can reach 1.70 metres (5.6 ft), and weigh up to 40 kilograms (88 lb),[2] and their back can be 100 centimetres (39 in) tall.[3] The Lesser Rhea is somewhat smaller as their back is only 90 centimetres (35 in) tall.[3] Their wings are large for a flightless bird (250 centimetres (8.2 ft))[3] and are spread while running, to act like sails.[4] Unlike most birds, rheas have only three toes. Their tarsus has 18 to 22 horizontal plates on the front of it. They also store urine separately in an expansion of the cloaca.[3] StG ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/44 "2012-10-02T05:09:38Z")
[Moa?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moa) (Two problems with that hypothesis: a) Itā€™s extinct and b) It lived in New Zealand). [Cassowary?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassowary) Iā€™m grasping at straws. ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/45 "2012-10-02T10:33:20Z")
My guessā€¦Great Blue Heronā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/46 "2012-10-02T14:16:55Z")
Youā€™d have to be blind to think a Great Blue Heron was black - if thatā€™s it, turn in your driverā€™s license! [This article](http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/05/05/2143697/wild-goose-chase-nets-emu-just.html) from a few years ago in the Rock Hill Herald about an escaped emu is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in a newspaper. ā€œGet him!ā€ screamed Ginger Strong in her bed slippers. ā€œGet a rope!ā€ howled animal rescuer Sheila Dover. ā€œGet this rope around his neck!ā€ screamed out Billy Grayson, who sure enough had a rope around his neck for just that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@purple\_cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_cow)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/47 "2012-10-02T19:53:24Z")
Many people know me as a pretty serious birdwatcher so i often get requests to identify things they have seen. It is amazing how far off they usually are on color, size, bill shape, etc. and i have great fun trying to figure out what it was. When i show them the bird they are shocked at how far off they are. Either that or they eliminate every possibility b/c they have an idea in their head which is wrong. That being said, your bird Boyo Jim sounds \*exactly \*like an Ostrich. Right size, colors, shape, etc. So iā€™d say you got the description spot on. Ostriches are farmed in many places. I havent seen you explicitly reject Ostrich so perhaps you should take another look. [http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ostrich/](http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ostrich/) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/48 "2012-10-02T20:17:47Z")
I rejected ostrich in post #8. The legs were stick-like, like a so many wading birds. As a serious birder, can you tell me something about molting. Like in particular, do any long-necked long-legged water birds periodically lose their feathers on their necks and heads? Also, do their colors ever seasonally change? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/49 "2012-10-02T20:19:30Z")
How about an ostrich with polio? ---
**Author:** ![purple\_cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@purple\_cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_cow)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/50 "2012-10-03T14:09:57Z")
Yeah, iā€™d support Ostrich with polio. Like i said, it is very hard to get all the details right, even for people who have lots of experience with birds. Something relatively minor like the size of the legs may be off especially since they were in shade. The sharp beak doesnt fit though. I donā€™t know any long legged waders that are black with white bits in the tail and none have bare necks, even during molt. Colors may change gray/blue to white and back in some species but none have an all black phase. ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/51 "2012-10-03T16:07:35Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Youā€™d have to be blind to think a Great Blue Heron was black - if thatā€™s it, turn in your driverā€™s license! > > [This article](http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/05/05/2143697/wild-goose-chase-nets-emu-just.html) from a few years ago in the Rock Hill Herald about an escaped emu is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in a newspaper. > > ā€œGet him!ā€ screamed Ginger Strong in her bed slippers. > > ā€œGet a rope!ā€ howled animal rescuer Sheila Dover. > > ā€œGet this rope around his neck!ā€ screamed out Billy Grayson, who sure enough had a rope around his neck for just that purpose. I am sad that more newspaper articles arenā€™t written by that fantastic journalist! Or better yet, that reporters the world over donā€™t pick up some style tips. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/52 "2012-10-03T16:26:27Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Sandhill fits for everything youā€™ve said except for ā€œblackā€. And 6ā€™ tallā€¦ Iā€™ve seen plenty of Sandhills (try Cherokee Marsh) and while theyā€™re tall, theyā€™re not any 6ā€™. Maybe 4ā€™ at the outside! More like 3ā€™ to 3.5ā€™. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/53 "2012-10-03T19:52:29Z")
Weā€™re they eating hoop snakes? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/54 "2012-10-03T20:14:34Z")
Iā€™ll bet a dollar you saw Sandhill Cranes in light conditions that made you misperceive the plumage colors. [https://www.google.com/search?q=sandhill+crane&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=rZtsUM6NBMuwigL1goHICw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ\_AUoAQ&biw=1262&bih=874](https://www.google.com/search?q=sandhill+crane&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=rZtsUM6NBMuwigL1goHICw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1262&bih=874) ---
**Author:** ![Docta\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Docta\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Docta_G)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/55 "2012-10-03T22:03:27Z")
The governor? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/56 "2012-10-06T03:22:08Z")
> [@purple\_cow](#): > > That being said, your bird Boyo Jim sounds \*exactly \*like an Ostrich. Right size, colors, shape, etc. So iā€™d say you got the description spot on. Ostriches are farmed in many places. I havent seen you explicitly reject Ostrich so perhaps you should take another look. > [http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ostrich/](http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ostrich/) I refused to believe that Boyo Jim wouldnā€™t recognize an ostrich on sight. Itā€™d be like not recognizing a zebra in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/57 "2012-10-06T14:21:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I refused to believe that Boyo Jim wouldnā€™t recognize an ostrich on sight. Itā€™d be like not recognizing a zebra in the wild. I guess ā€œin the wildā€ is a pretty vague term, but in the city of Madison (some 21K miles, 34K kilometres distant from the Ostrichā€™s habitat) I think the saying, ā€œwhen you hear hoofbeats think horses, not zebrasā€ might be apropos. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/58 "2012-10-06T14:29:10Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > How about an ostrich with polio? Sounds better than a warped and frustrated old birdā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/59 "2012-10-08T04:45:45Z")
> [@purple\_cow](#): > > Many people know me as a pretty serious birdwatcher so i often get requests to identify things they have seen. It is amazing how far off they usually are on color, size, bill shape, etc. and i have great fun trying to figure out what it was. My boss and I were at a clientā€™s home a couple of days ago and saw a small (chickadee size?) bird seeming to hang out by us in a tree. It was a solid iridescent medium blue with a small white slash on itā€™s side (I think). Five minutes later, we were in the back yard a few hundred feet away and it showed up by us again, seeming to want to be near us. Sorry for the hijack but Iā€™ve tried several times to identify it with no luck and just saw your post. This is on the north shore of Long Island NY where I frequently see Blue Herons, Egrets and even a Bald Eagle a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233/60 "2012-10-08T06:34:36Z")
It was probably Big Bird himself, menacing the good people of Wisconsin. But donā€™t worry, Mitt Romney is on the [job](http://blogs.ajc.com/mike-luckovich/2012/10/05/107-mike-luckovich-cartoon-big-bird/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-6-tall-bird-did-i-just-see-in-madison/636233.md?page=4)