# Can you identify this bird?



## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

On one of my dawn hikes earlier this month in CO I ran across this guy and three siblings. While I was shooting the chick I looked up only to find a very concerned momma who I'll post later.

I know we have experts here on everything - no more hints for now.


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## Pat Pat the Water Rat (Jul 26, 2006)

My guess... Gray Partridge???

pptwr


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## Pod (Dec 11, 2004)

My guess is some sort of grouse....


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## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

*You're in the ballpark...*

but not quite there yet...


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Baby Halk


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## Pod (Dec 11, 2004)

Young prarie chicken??


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## NurseD-bait (Oct 2, 2004)

looking at the beak I'd say some sort of bird that eats meat...it'a got big wings for it's size....hawk?


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## MsAddicted (Jan 25, 2005)

Juvenile White Tailed Ptarmigan?


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## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

*We have a winner!!!*



MsAddicted said:


> Juvenile White Tailed Ptarmigan?


This board never ceases to amaze me. I don't know how you got it but as a reward here's the pictures of momma I promised. For the techies was with the 100-300 not the Bigma.


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## MsAddicted (Jan 25, 2005)

Sweet! Spectacular pics of momma, thanks Rusty!


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

You really got the detail out with super-crisp focus there!


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## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

*Sorry about the formatting...*

I have no idea what happened and why they're side by side like that. By the time I noticed I had lost editing rights.

It's rare in the wild to get cooperative subjects - especially birds. Momma had to hang around and I was able to use some of the fill flash experiments from BBSP to help illuminate a low light situation in high cover. These birds are big. I don't know how I missed momma the first time through.


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## RustyBrown (May 29, 2004)

*Well, darn it all*

Seems like the id for this bird is not a ptarmigan, but actually a spruce grouse also know as a blue grouse. My apologies for the error.


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## MsAddicted (Jan 25, 2005)

One of the characteristics I was looking at for the ID were the legs of the baby. It appears that there are feathers all the way down the legs which is diagnostic of ptarmigan (I thought anyway). Also, a spruce grouse and blue grouse are not the same...totally different species (different genera). Not that I know much about grouse, I was just going by my Sibley's. 

K. (aka bird nerd, lol)


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