An American Imposter

Although we have closed the Intrigued HQ so the staff can enjoy the holidays, thought I would jump in for one last post before the calendar turns. Some could accuse me of trying to pad the end of the year stats, but all the performance reviews are already in the books so this is pure bonus…in addition to giving me a break from all the last minute Texas birding I am trying to get in before we reset for the 2025 Average Year (link here – note not updated yet). Additional annual +1 opportunities are getting really slim. Currently sitting at 322 species for 2024 which is a boost from the 317 I was sitting at before we made our way down here. That now includes 2 new lifers from Bolivar Flats and Galveston Island – one of which was a rarity that took Linda and I a solid three days of hunting to finally get in the tin. Those in the Texas birding community know which one I am referring to, but I’ll keep the details for a future post. While looking at the queue I loaded up before we left home, decided to go with another rarity found during our January trip to Last Vegas.

Follow the jump to reveal this special rarity

No, I am not trying to pull a fast one on you. Those in North America are probably well aware of this ubiquitous species. The American Robin is one of those birds that can be easily seen by probably 95% of the residents of Canada and the US with little trouble either in their year round residency region or as they extend up northward for their breeding season. Sorry Florida and those close to the Central America border, you might have to travel a couple of hours north.

Really just wanted to give you a reference for our local Robin. Note the classic Thrush two-toned bill, dark head, rich burnt orange chest that transitions to a pure white under tail. Take special note of their white piping in the feathers and the easily viewed white eye ring that make this species one of the easier to identify in the field. Even their behavior gives them away, sprinting from place to place, stopping abruptly, standing straight up, maybe a tilt of the head for a final check before pile driving the ground to pluck out a juicy worm.

Now that you have those American Robin characteristics fresh in your mind, take a look at today’s featured feathered friend.

Note, I purposely gave you a reference shot of the American Robin in a tree for comparison. Notice in the shot above, the darker head, strong yellow dominant bill and the burnt orange coloring on the belly that transitions to white as it progresses to the tail. Classic traits of the Turdidae family. Yes, I am still young enough to get humor out of calling out “There’s a Turd” while out in the field, much to the displeasure/embarrassment of Linda hehehe.

So, you may be asking yourself, why is Bri chasing a “rarity” that is admittedly nearly everywhere. It is possible you already saw through my clever trick of hiding a key characteristic with a twig in the first shot…what?, you don’t think that was intentional..I’m hurt. Now that I have drawn your attention to the eye, take note of the orange eye ring on this specimen. For further differentiation this American Robin imposter has a streaked white throat and the transition to white on the belly starts ahead of the legs.

There is one other very big difference in coloring on this particular species that lends to its name, the Rufous-Backed Robin. The shot below provides a good view of the coloring on that back of this Central American resident. The American Robin has a solid dark back that matches the wing feathering.

This particular specimen was definitely way off course as it was hanging out at the Corn Creek Field Station in Desert National Wildlife Refuge outside of Las Vegas, NV.

In my ranking of easiest to find rarities, this Rufous-Backed Robin sits in the number three spot after the Cattle Tyrant (link here) and another rarity that has not been featured yet which was found just a few minutes before this specimen in the exact same tree (foreshadowing ha). As is the norm, went through the eBird reports before heading off to Desert NWR. Quickly noted the target birds for the trip that included the two rarities that was getting a lot of press. For the non-birders out there, rarities can be extremely difficult to tin and thus I tend to keep my expectations dampened. Parked, signed in at the visitor center and took our standard loop through the area that takes you past a small orchard. Two other women were standing near the fence line when I walked over to see how their day was going. No sighting of either rarity yet. No sooner after noting to myself it was going to take some work, something caught my eye in the nearby tree, take a few shots, verify the tin and point to the location “Is that {yet to be revealed first rarity}”. A collective yes and a flutter of shutters commence.

After a serious dent in my digital space, that specimen took off and we had a great discussion on how awesome that was. Just about to turn and continue on the trail when the Robin flew into the same tree. I couldn’t put my finger on why in the moment, but something was off about it. That is always a cue to start snapping away, if the spidey senses were off, they could be easily deleted later. A bit embarrassed to announce there was a “Robin” in the tree (didn’t want to lose all my bird cred … yet), kept tracking and snapping this new specimen. The other ladies followed the Beast angle and started snapping themselves. One exclaimed “Is that it!?!” I responded I wasn’t sure (lacking confidence as this was my first time ever seeing one). Embracing the Intrigued “More Snap, Less Chimp” motto, kept hammering away until it too flew off. Now time to chimp at the LCD – “Ooohhh Ooooohhh, ooooohhhhh that’s it”. All the monkey sounds without the flinging poo. Confirmed by the orange eye ring and other traits noted above. Two rarities in two minutes, life is good!

Time to get some shuteye. Plan to be up early and shoot some Whoopers. Take care and from all of us here at Intrigued, be safe and best wishes for a happy New Year’s. See you again in 2025.