These birds I’m unable to identify. I can use your help, if you know what these birds are feel free to post here!
*Note- These birds were photographed in my yard, the ducks were by the lake near my home & the falcon in a feild.
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Sizes (of the birds that are currently unnamed)
Unknown A- size of a Canada Goose
Unknown C- aprox. 10-12″in. long. It looked like that all summer without plumage change.
-unknown A
-unknown B Merlin
-unknown C
-unknownD Crested Blue & White Ancona
-unknown E Tan Pekin Duck?
-unknown F Cayaga Duck
-unknownG Muscovy Duck Hybred
B. Peregrine falcon
G. Muscovy Duck
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovy_duck
This isn’t native to LI but is domestic. Some of those other ducks look domestic, or maybe crosses between domestic breeds, I think all domestic duck breeds (other than Muscovy) can interbreed with each other and also with wild Mallards.
D. The back bird looks like a Crested Duck:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Crest/BRKCrestedDucks.html
This is also domestic – the forward bird is maybe just a Crested Duck that didn’t develop a crest – not all of them do. They seem to come in a variety of colors.
Yeah…unknown B is most likely an immature Peregrine Falcon, possibly a Merlin Falcon.
All the ducks are domestic or Black Duck/Mallard hybrids.
Bird C is a Vesper Sparrow I believe. They oft spend winters in Long Island.
BTW I’m an Aussie
Well the only thing that makes me think it might not be a peregrine is that it doesn’t have a plain breast. A merlin would have the chest pattern continuing around its eyes, and brown/yellowing around the legs, so it doesn’t really work as a merlin either. Both do winter in parts of NY though.
A mature Peregrine has a partially plain breast, an IMMATURE Peregrine, does not. Check it out for yourself on images.google.com.
You’re right it’s probably not a Merlin though, I didn’t think it was a Merlin, but some refuse to accept it is in fact an immature Peregrine. This is evident from the kind of streaking pattern, the colouring of it’s beak, the unique head structure…need I go on?
Thanks a lot for your replies!! ^_^