Help me identify this bird

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 08/30/2017 at 14:46 • Filed to: None

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We have a bird feeder in our front window, partly because my wife likes watching the birds, and partly because it’s fun to watch our cats watch the birds. This gray bird with a big orange beak keeps coming around. My wife named it Frank. What kind of bird is Frank?

My wife took several pictures of Frank a while back. I don’t know why exactly these pictures are so shitty looking. Maybe she used the digital zoom on her phone’s camera. I should double check her camera settings.

Frank is a slightly larger-than-average bird with a big orange beak. Noticeably bigger than the little warblers and other similar-sized birds that often show up at the feeder.

He has faint reddish highlights on the top of his head, wings, and tail.  

So far the only thought I’ve had is that Frank is actually a female cardinal, because female cardinals are gray with big orange beaks and faint reddish accents. But Frank (Francine?) doesn’t have that tuft of feathers sticking up from the top of its head.

So, birdwatchers of Oppo, if you’re out there, what the hell kind of bird is Frank?

Jcarr > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 14:52

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Sure looks like a female northern cardinal .

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 14:54

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A google search for the image returns result of “Bird”

Hope that helps!

Die-Trying > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 14:55

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looks like a female cardinal.....

Party-vi > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 14:59

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Frank is a Warbling Giggle-Titmouse

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:01

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Grew up in a family of birders, and live in Virginia (cardinal is the state bird). My first thought was female cardinal, they don’t always have the mohawk up.

Textured Soy Protein > Jcarr 08/30/2017 at 15:03

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Hmm so your link shows that the tuft goes up and down. Interesting. We’ll see how my wife feels about Frank actually being Francine.

Tekamul > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:04

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Frank is infact Francine, the female cardinal.

Look for her to go to the feeder and just sit there for a few minutes, and then if nothing disturbs her, the real Frank (the male cardinal) will come swooping in. She’s the look out, because he’s the easy target.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:05

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If not a cardinal, the beak makes the bird look like some type of grosbeak...grosbeaks are in the same family as cardinals so the similarity isn’t super unlikely.

This is where one of those field guides would be super useful.

Jcarr > Tekamul 08/30/2017 at 15:06

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Male cardinals: The 18th century British Army of the bird world.

Textured Soy Protein > Tekamul 08/30/2017 at 15:07

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I’ve seen regular red cardinal(s) at the feeder but not at the same time as Francine. Francine comes up on the window sill and hangs out sometimes, like in the second picture.

vondon302 > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:11

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Not a female Cardinal. Looks like a Finch to me. Need to know what part of the country your in to narrow it down.

EL_ULY > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:12

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Birb*

For Sweden > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:12

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Wow so many good birds

Textured Soy Protein > vondon302 08/30/2017 at 15:14

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I’m in Wisconsin. The beak in that picture looks right but I think finches are generally smaller than Frank. He’s a good maybe 5-6 inches tall.

vicali > Aaron M - MasoFiST 08/30/2017 at 15:14

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First thought was Grosbeaks as well but female Cardinal looks good.

Tekamul > Jcarr 08/30/2017 at 15:16

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Oh, aviary, historic, patriotic BURN

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:21

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definitely a grosbeak

Textured Soy Protein > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 08/30/2017 at 15:22

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How big are those? Frank is 5-6 inches tall, roughly.

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:32

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My experience with birdwatching is that you always have to go for the common identification first. Sure, it could be some strange exotic bird, but odds are it’s something terribly common. You didn’t say where you live, but I’m putting my money on female cardinal. The red tinge to the wings and the orange beak are telltales. While grosbeak is a good guess, I don’t think the beak is the right shape. And, as others have mentioned, the crest is retractable.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 15:49

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6-9 inches apparently, at least on the one I picked, but there are other varieties

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > Jcarr 08/30/2017 at 15:50

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yeah I initially thought grosbeak, but you have it I think.

vondon302 > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 16:05

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Yeah your right. Female Grosbeak maybe. My wife has field guide. I’ll ask her when she gets home.

dsigned001 - O.R.C. hunter > Textured Soy Protein 08/30/2017 at 18:42

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I’m betting female Cardinal as well. The females aren’t as excited about their crests as the males are.

vondon302 > Textured Soy Protein 08/31/2017 at 05:49

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Well after much discussion we couldn’t agree. I think it’s some kind of immature Grosbeak. She thinks it’s this.

White crowned sparrow. The beak is pinkish when immature. Killed an hour at least.

jimz > EL_ULY 08/31/2017 at 09:45

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