To all you bird experts........

**Humerous Vegetable** · 28-Apr-09, 15:13

Can anybody please tell me what this bonny wee thing is? I found it strolling around on my drive on Sunday morning, pecking aound in the gravel. I have never seen anything like it before. It was quite fluffy, especially the red/orange bits, so I thought it might be a fledgling, but what of? It was a bit bigger than a sparrow and had quite a thin, black hooked beak - I can't remember what colour the legs were. I went back inside to get my other camera with the zoom lens and by the time I came back out it had disappeared.

**kas** · 28-Apr-09, 17:12

Not 100% sure but is it a common rosefinch? I have never seen one but it is the time of year when birds are on the move. It is a summer visitor to the continent.

**kas** · 28-Apr-09, 20:20

I was wrong, a mate thinks it is a crossbill.

**Aaldtimer** · 29-Apr-09, 03:51

Nah. Wouldn't agree with a crossbill. Male has a completely red head and undercarrage and no grey stripe on the body. The female has practically no red whatsoever. I've been puzzling about this, never heard of a common rosefinch in this country, but gonna Google it to have a look.

**dafi** · 29-Apr-09, 09:22

I dont know Auldtimer i would have to go for the common crossbill with the grey stripe and the red streching down the belly like that. I am sure the Rose finch has a light belly underneath from the breast down. The other thing i see is the bill in the second picture. This seems to have the over hanging upper mandbill so typical of the Crossbill family. So i guess i would plump for the crossbill camp. Its a shame really as a Rosebill would have been a super find for your garden list.

How long was it about for?

**Kenn** · 29-Apr-09, 09:29

I thought redpoll but the breast feathers seem a bit vivid.

**Humerous Vegetable** · 29-Apr-09, 10:24

I had to google rosefinches because I never heard of them, but going by the pictures I found online, I think the beak was different, quite thin and black, (and not crossed) and most of the red feathers/fluff were on the back, not the head.
I'm sorry the photos are so poor. As for how long it was around, I don't know. It was already there when I went outside, I probably spent about 5 minutes following it and taking the 2 photos. It had gone by the time I found my other camera and went back out.

**the_count** · 30-Apr-09, 00:24

Was a difficult one but i would say crossbill red rump would deffo place it in crossbills, rosefinch and grosbeak .. it lacks the white underbelly of the rosefinch so thats not it. it lacks the wing bars of the grosbeak and two barred crossbill so not either of them. beak is too narrow for parrot crossbill which narrows it down to the scottish and common crossbill. The scottish crossbills beak is slightly thicker than that of the bird shown so i would plump for the common crossbill and would add that its a male lol and he's had a bad "hair" day

**Aaldtimer** · 30-Apr-09, 03:10

No, sorry, nothing like the illustration of a crossbill in my book. The whole head is red right down to half way down it's back with darker red eye patches and a white rump below the tail. The mystery goes on. Def not a rosebill either.

**Iffy** · 30-Apr-09, 10:38

A VERY bedraggled robin !!!!! LOL

Sorry, I've no idea either....

**Aaldtimer** · 30-Apr-09, 19:45

[quote=Iffy;541650]A VERY bedraggled robin !!!!! LOL

Many a true word spoken in jest! Looking at that grey stripe it's got....

**dragonfly** · 30-Apr-09, 20:26

could it be a Linnet?? RSPB

**anneoctober** · 01-May-09, 13:50

Thats the best match to date ! What do our experts think?

**nemosia** · 01-May-09, 19:37

Hi H.V.,
Kas and Dafi are right. It's a crossbill.

**Aaldtimer** · 02-May-09, 03:17

Originally Posted by nemosia

Hi H.V.,
Kas and Dafi are right. It's a crossbill.

Well that's fine support for them nemosia, but are you going to give justification for your opinion?

**Ricco** · 02-May-09, 08:03

Looks like a cross bill to me as well. The beak is a bit of a giveaway.

**kas** · 02-May-09, 22:27

Is it ill?

It looks pufffed up and not in a good way. Not getting off the subject in hand of ID but I always remember this greenfinch in our garden a few years back. I thought the shape and bad condition was similar?

**nirofo** · 03-May-09, 02:28

Definately a male Crossbill, more than likely a common although picture not good enough to be certain. Bill doesn't look heavy enough for a Parrot or dare I say it , (Scottish).

nirofo.

**Aaldtimer** · 03-May-09, 03:11

Originally Posted by Ricco

Looks like a cross bill to me as well. The beak is a bit of a giveaway.

Nope, sorry , even on enlargement of the pic, can't see the "crossbill".
Not convinced.

**Aaldtimer** · 03-May-09, 03:14

Originally Posted by kas

Is it ill?

It looks pufffed up and not in a good way. Not getting off the subject in hand of ID but I always remember this greenfinch in our garden a few years back. I thought the shape and bad condition was similar?

What makes you think it's the same one!
Maybe just having a "bad hair day"?