Comments on: Unidentified Birds of New York, Long Island

By: shinseimori

shinseimori — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:17:05 +0000

Thanks a lot for your replies!! ^_^

By: Seb

Seb — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 02:57:54 +0000

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?

By: yourfootgirl

yourfootgirl — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:27:23 +0000

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.

By: Seb

Seb — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 08:23:22 +0000

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

By: kiravae

kiravae — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 05:05:51 +0000

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.

By: yourfootgirl

yourfootgirl — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 04:21:15 +0000

B. Peregrine falcon