Topic: Bird Identification please

[MikeB]

Can you help me identify the following bird?  It is the size of a sparrow but has no marking at all.  I've been told it is not a Garden Warbler.  Thanks for your help.

[Paulines7]

It is difficult to see the beak as it has a sunflower seed in it but the base of the beak looks yellow and shaped like that of a baby bird.  If I had to guess, I would opt for a newly fledged greenfinch.

[agapanthus]

I would agree with you there Pauline. ;)

[MikeB]

The bird was seen gathering twigs and bits for nest building, so tend to think it is an adult, the beak is sort of buff coloured.  It also has been seen fiying with sparrows! Thanks for answering though.

[Leonnie]

I would say it looks like a leucistic or dilute sparrow.

image by Bob Talbot

[redimp]

Looks more of a sparrow than finch to me.  Had never hear the term leucistic before but it seems likely to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucistic
Common in urban crows apparently.

[MikeB]

I googled the dilute sparrow, which apperars from the information returned to be a Java sparrow, see below, the beaks in this picture seem wrong more like finches.  Never heard of the dilute sparrow before, you learn something new etc., thanks.

[MikeB]

Looks more of a sparrow than finch to me.  Had never hear the term leucistic before but it seems likely to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucistic
Common in urban crows apparently.

Read your reference RC, apparently it implies white patches on the bird instead of its normal colouring.  I can't see any patches in the picture, its upper body is brown, very similar to a new piece of trellis/fence panel, sort of golden sand colour. The under body my OH describes as buff, but I don't think it's that strong a colour, more washed out. I think Autumn-beauty photo is very close, but I don't think that it is a photo of a dilute sparrow, only from what I have googled, not personal knowledge.  In fact see previous post, I've never heard of it before today.  A-Beauty is the photo from a book? or do you breed them? and are they d. sparrows? and I have got it wrong?  Thanks everbody for your help.

[Leonnie]

MikeB, the term "dilute sparrow" is not a species of sparrow but rather a condition like albino would be. Dilute is another term for leucistic. I think the bird in your photo is a sparrow but it's colouring is dilute or leucistic. No it's not my photo, it's one I found on the internet taken by Bob Talbot, I posted it to show you an example of what a dilute or leucistic bird would look like, the sparrow on the left shows a normal coloured sparrow, the one of the right is a dilute/leucistic coloured sparrow. Hope that makes sense and sorry I wasn't clearer in my earlier explanation.

[MikeB]

Hi A-Beauty,

Your post was perfectly clear, it was the web site that I googled that confused me.
I've just taken two more pics where the mystery bird seems to have a partner.
Apart from the colouring it's seems an exactly like a sparrow.

[Leonnie]

awww bless, lovely photos MikeB

[janet h 1948]

We had a visiter that looked just like a sparrow apart from its head. When I looked it up it was a reed bunting. Sorry I can't see your picture properly.

[flossie]

My husband says it looks like a female snow bunting

[northener]

I'd say garden warbler. The picture with the seed in its mouth makes it look like its got a finch's or sparrows bill.