Meet The Mrs., Again!

July 28, 2015  •  4 Comments

Earlier this year, January 4th to be exact, I wrote a blog comparing the color differences between the male and female birds of the same species.  Lately, I found that I have photographed several more male/female combinations so I thought I'd share another installment of "Meet The Mrs.".

Throughout much of the year, at least in Pennsylvania, the male American Goldfinch has a deep black cap, wings, and tail.  During winter, he is much more closer to the color of the female, leading some people to question "what kind of bird is that?".

American GoldfinchAmerican GoldfinchMale

 

Meet the Mrs.  She does have black on her wings but she is mostly olive-green and yellow throughout the year.

American GoldfinchAmerican GoldfinchFemale

 

The male Indigo Bunting is a brilliant bright blue.  Or is he?  Actually, Indigo Buntings lack blue pigment in their feathers.  The sky blue look comes from microscopic structures in their feathers that refract and reflect blue light.  Take an Indigo Bunting into the shade and you will see a much darker bird.

Indigo BuntingIndigo BuntingMale

 

Meet the Mrs.  She doesn't have the same issue as the male.  She is brownish overall with brown streaks on her chest and a whitish throat.

Indigo BuntingIndigo BuntingFemale

 

The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak is bursting with black, white, and a red "V" on his chest.

Rose-breasted GrosbeakRose-breasted GrosbeakMale

 

Meet the Mrs.  She, with her brown and white feathers with brown streaks, resembles immature Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.  You can't see it in the pictures but, in flight, the male flashes pinkish-red under the wings and the female flashes yellow.

Rose-breasted GrosbeakRose-breasted GrosbeakFemale

 

One of the most dazzling birds of the forest canopy is the Scarlet Tanager.  His bright red body and black wings are noticeable even on the cloudiest days.

Scarlet TanagerScarlet TanagerMale

 

Meet the Mrs.  She is hard to overlook too.  However, her greenish yellow color makes her harder to spot amongst the branches and leaves.  Not in this photograph though.  She was posing for me.

Scarlet TanagerScarlet TanagerFemale

 

The adult male Common Yellowthroat is a yellow and olive green bird with a broad black mask.  Immature males look similar but shows only traces of the black mask.

Common YellowthroatCommon YellowthroatAdult Male (Spring)

 

Meet the Mrs.  She looks very similar to the male but lacks the mask.

Common YellowthroatCommon YellowthroatFemale

 

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are bright emerald green on the back and crown, with gray-white underparts.  The male has a brilliant, shiny red throat that looks dark in poor light.

Ruby-throated HummingbirdRuby-throated HummingbirdMale

 

Meet the Mrs.  She looks very similar to the male but lacks the red throat.

Ruby-throated HummingbirdRuby-throated HummingbirdFemale

 

Sometimes, you have to look hard to distinguish the gender of a Yellow Warbler.  They are both uniformly yellow birds except the male has reddish streaks on his chest.

Yellow WarblerYellow WarblerMale

 

Meet the Mrs.  She was preening and had her back turned to me when I made this photograph.  Other than the lack of streaks on her chest, she looks like the male.  You'll have to take my word for it, this is the Mrs.

Yellow WarblerYellow WarblerFemale

 

The male Bobolink is mostly black and white and, during breeding, he has a large yellow patch on his head.  It was late in the breeding season when I made this photograph and the yellow color on his head has nearly turned white.

BobolinkBobolinkMale

 

Meet the Mrs.  She is a warm brown color with dark brown streaks.  Just wait though, the non-breeding male has the same colors and looks like the female.

BobolinkBobolinkFemale

 

I hope you enjoyed meeting the Mrs., again.  Click the link if you would like to visit/revisit my first "Meet The Mrs."

Until next time,

Dan


Comments

Joannie(non-registered)
Lovely photographs and a great tutorial. Thanks.
Marianne(non-registered)
I love these pictures. you are very informative which helps. love love love them
Jim Weixel(non-registered)
Nice job, Dan! The most difficult birds for me to identify are the females and juveniles!
Rhonda B(non-registered)
Fabulous - both the photography and the information. I'm an amateur at birding but I often wonder if I'm looking at a Mrs or a Mr that I've misidentified.
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