Brown-headed Cowbird Kid

Gallery: AvianPosted July 28, 20162,260 views3 comments

Canon 1D-X, 500mm f4 x 1.4 TC, handheld, laying on ground
f5.6, 1/640, ISO6400

A late evening shot. I am unsure whether the structure on the end of its bill is the egg tooth or a bill deformity. It's not debris stuck to the bill tip; it survived a lot of grubbing around on the ground. A nest parasite gets no respect, but it's actually a kind of handsome bird. I try not to think about why it was hanging around a flock of Pine Siskins.

80% of full frame. Adjustments to Levels. Selective sharpening of bird; selective noise reduction to background.

C & C, please. Thanks for looking.

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on July 28, 2016 at 9:21 PM

Nice job in the low light conditions, Jim. You are right, a bird that is hard to like, but they are beautiful.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 28, 2016 at 10:29 PM

Interesting bill on this bird, Jim. I don't recall seeing any images of an egg tooth, but I thought they disappeared well before the bird fledged. The bill goes through as much development as the rest of the bird in that period.

Excellent image.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on July 29, 2016 at 7:52 PM

You're right, it's a good-looking bird. I've only seen one before. Nice job with the image. It has good detail and nice color balance.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments