# What's this bird? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bird/540712 "2010-05-25T16:12:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bird/540712/1 "2010-05-25T16:12:59Z")
Have a look at the admittedly not-so-good photos here: [http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/sal\_ammoniac/](http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/sal_ammoniac/) I saw this bird this morning high up in a neighbor’s maple tree (I’m just outside Boston). I didn’t get a good look, but it seemed to me to be olive/gray above, and whitish underneath, and maybe about the size of a cardinal, or a little bigger. It’s song was WE-see, WE-see, or maybe MI-ssi-SIP-pee. It’s a little frustrating I can’t identify it, since it has to be a common enough bird! Had no luck trolling around the Internet, but have better hopes here. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bird/540712/2 "2010-05-25T16:38:13Z")
The neck marking reminded me of a [nighthawk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawk), but it looks like your bird’s belly is too light to be a nighthawk. We need Colibri. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bird/540712/3 "2010-05-25T17:14:28Z")
I’m trying to look at the picture on my iPhone and it’s very tiny and blurry, but the markings on the head look like a shrike. My favorite bad ass songbird. You’ll have to wiki it yourself since I can’t get a link. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bird/540712/4 "2010-05-25T17:32:19Z")
It’s a male [Blackpoll Warbler](http://www.pbcgov.com/parks/nature/green_cay_nature_center/_images/BirdChecklist/BlackpollWarbler.jpg), seen from below. It’s actually much smaller than a Cardinal. [Side view](http://deltanewsweb.com/archives/images/bw_warbler_dubois.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bird/540712/5 "2010-05-25T17:53:32Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It’s a male [Blackpoll Warbler](http://www.pbcgov.com/parks/nature/green_cay_nature_center/_images/BirdChecklist/BlackpollWarbler.jpg), seen from below. It’s actually much smaller than a Cardinal. Thanks, **Colibri**! I just saw the bird again, and you’re right, it’s smaller than a cardinal. And here I was thinking the warblers had all gone. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bird/540712/6 "2010-05-25T18:00:31Z")
Blackpolls come through a little late (mid-late April here in NE Florida).