tinyang and vanilla teamed up to snap five photos this morning of a bird that I’m scratching my head over. Check them out:





The shots are by tinyang, vanilla, vanilla, tinyang, and vanilla, respectively. According to txbird in chat, some users have suggested Varied Bunting, but I’m having a hard time reconciling those images with that bird, at least based on the field guide, which is the only place I’ve ever seen one. If I had to put money on something, I’d call it a drab male House Finch, but I’m not positive about it.
Varied Bunting doesn’t appear at all in the Welder checklist, and House Finch only as “rare”, and only in winter, so I’m really not sure what to think. Anyone else have any ideas?
Update: As discussed in the comments, I’m feeling more inclined to call this one a male House Finch. It’s a little unusual-looking, at least compared to the House Finches I’m used to seeing, but I’m pretty comfortable at this point saying that that’s what it is.
Later update: rafa alerted me to the fact that one of these images (the second from the bottom, by tinyang) has now been officially classified as a House Finch. Congratulations, tinyang!