# Help Identify This Bird



## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

This little fluffy bird is hanging around the house and lets me walk with-in 2 feet without spooking. He/she moves real slow but doesnt seem to be injured. It likes to lay in the snow, almost like its sleeping.. Can anyone I.D. what type it is? 










Thanks
CB


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## Bushwhacker (Jan 21, 2000)

Looks like a Meadowlark, we actually had one here at a birdfeeder last week, have never seen one around here before.
Bushwhacker


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## snaggs (Jul 20, 2005)

Seems as though this little feller fell a might short in his migration south. Don't know what the bird is but no bird likes to lay in the snow. I would not handle the bird because there are diseases around and this guy might have an affliction. If he makes it he makes it,if not well it's sad but I surely would not take a chance to contaminate me nor my family. :sad::sad:


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

Bushwhacker said:


> Looks like a Meadowlark, we actually had one here at a birdfeeder last week, have never seen one around here before.
> Bushwhacker


Hey, I think your right... I looked it up and the picture looks the same and here is what it said



> _An abundant and familiar bird of open country across the western two-thirds of the continent, the Western Meadowlark is beloved for its melodic song. It is frequently seen singing atop fenceposts along roadsides in native grassland and agricultural areas._


I think he's lost :lol:


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## Outdoorzman (Jun 5, 2001)

West nile has that effect on birds. Be cautious of it.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Injured or sick birds fluff up like that-that's not natural. I doubt it has west nile, we haven't had any mosquitoes up here in months, and I haven't heard of ANY birds dropping over dead from West Nile in a couple of years up here-and even then, it wasn't much. Not like southern Michigan. 

That bird is either sick or injured-and it doesn't lay down in the snow because it likes to do that. That's a sign of a complete loss of energy. It's probably dying. 

See if you can get it to fly...I doubt you can. That's IF he's still around tomorrow. He's also probably freezing to death-meadowlarks don't like deep snow.


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## Splitshot (Nov 30, 2000)

It is indeed a meadowlark and by the looks of it, it is very stressed. If it were me I would do the humane thing and put it out of its misery. Meadowlarks do winter in northern climates and feed on both insects and seeds.

They are not often seen in woodlands and I know I could always observe a few in the meadows around Sleepy Hollow State Park just North of Lansing.


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## Brown duck (Dec 16, 2005)

Linda G. said:


> Injured or sick birds fluff up like that-that's not natural.


It's absolutely natural - from the snow in the picture, I'm going to guess it was cold out. Look at any bird on a cold morning and it'll look bigger than it actually is. The reason? Birds fluff out their feathers for additional insulation. Trapping additional air between feathers will allow that air to warm quickly, resulting in a warmer body. 

Nothing from the picture would suggest it's sick. Behind schedule in migration, maybe, but not sick. 

Please don't go killing birds simply because it's in a place it shouldn't be at any given time of year. These types of things happen all the time - weather will help push birds (duck hunters know this), it could've been on its way to the wintering grounds and got caught in a prevailing wind. It should be fine, if not, nature will run its course.


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## Paul Thompson (Jul 16, 2007)

I'd warm him/her up, feed it some millet if it felt like eating, then send it on it's fate, they all die anyway, someday, like you and me.


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## Splitshot (Nov 30, 2000)

Brown Duck,

You seem like a very loving, gentle person who probably would never kill a fly.

To me the bird does look stressed and secondly any time a wild bird or animal will let you walk up to them proves to me that something is wrong with this creature.

Nature will take its course, but I beleive it would be more humane to put it out of its misery. Srry!


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## Brown duck (Dec 16, 2005)

Splitshot said:


> Brown Duck,
> 
> You seem like a very loving, gentle person who probably would never kill a fly.
> 
> ...


SS - you must be a veterinarian to ascertain that it is diseased simply from a picture and short description. Yeah its stressed - its cold! Songbirds can do screwy things at times. Ever heard of a titmouse or chickadee eating out of someone's hand? Maybe it is sick - those animals always find a way of being taken out in the food chain.

I bet it's already gone on its way or has been picked off by a hawk (hawks need to eat, too).


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## Splitshot (Nov 30, 2000)

Brown duck said:


> SS - you must be a veterinarian to ascertain that it is diseased simply from a picture and short description. Yeah its stressed - its cold! Songbirds can do screwy things at times. Ever heard of a titmouse or chickadee eating out of someone's hand? Maybe it is sick - those animals always find a way of being taken out in the food chain.
> 
> I bet it's already gone on its way or has been picked off by a hawk (hawks need to eat, too).


Below is the assumptions you made from reading the same post.



Brown duck said:


> It's absolutely natural - from the snow in the picture, I'm going to guess it was cold out. Look at any bird on a cold morning and it'll look bigger than it actually is. The reason? Birds fluff out their feathers for additional insulation. Trapping additional air between feathers will allow that air to warm quickly, resulting in a warmer body.
> 
> Nothing from the picture would suggest it's sick. Behind schedule in migration, maybe, but not sick.
> 
> Please don't go killing birds simply because it's in a place it shouldn't be at any given time of year. These types of things happen all the time - weather will help push birds (duck hunters know this), it could've been on its way to the wintering grounds and got caught in a prevailing wind. It should be fine, if not, nature will run its course.


From your first post, youre the one who thinks he is an expert. First it is not unusual for a Meadowlark to winter over so how did you figure it was migrating, second codybear said he approached within a couple of feet which is very unusual for a wild bird in good condition and third, like Linda said when they fluff up like that, meaning they look they just woke up from a hangover it is a clue. Sometimes birds will fly into a window like this little titmouse. He knocked himself out and fell into the snow. I picked him up and kept him warm until he started struggling and let him go.









There are a lot of touchy feely people in this world who would never want to hurt anything but Im not one of them. If I think an animal is suffering, I would opt to put it down. Sorry if that offends your sensibilities.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Brown duck said:


> It's absolutely natural - from the snow in the picture, I'm going to guess it was cold out. Look at any bird on a cold morning and it'll look bigger than it actually is. The reason? Birds fluff out their feathers for additional insulation. Trapping additional air between feathers will allow that air to warm quickly, resulting in a warmer body.
> 
> Nothing from the picture would suggest it's sick. Behind schedule in migration, maybe, but not sick.
> 
> Please don't go killing birds simply because it's in a place it shouldn't be at any given time of year. These types of things happen all the time - weather will help push birds (duck hunters know this), it could've been on its way to the wintering grounds and got caught in a prevailing wind. It should be fine, if not, nature will run its course.


Good post BD and spot on.


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