Expert: Julia Booth - 8/23/2008

Question
Bloomington Indiana, mid August, farmhouse ten miles north of small city. Yellow bird, approximately 6 inches long, feeding on tall weeds in pasture. Bright yellow like finch, but large. Yellow back, black under throat.  Any ideas?

Answer
Okay, you said it was 6 inches, but then you said it was large. It can't be both. Large is a crow. Six inches is sparrow-sized.

There are some warblers that sort of meet this description, but they average 5-5.5 inches. I know of no birds that are larger than that, that are yellow on top with black throats AND also live in the state of Indiana.

Was it alone? Can you tell me anything else about its behavior -like how it moved? Did it sit still or was it flitting about? Did it make any sounds? Was there any other color or pattern on it, other than the yellow and black? Do you remember what sort of beak it had? Was it short and shaped like a cone or long and pointy?

I'm leaning towards the Hooded Warbler right now. But I don't really feel like I have enough info to be certain. Larger birds that are bright yellow and found in Indiana would be Orioles. But they are usually black on their backs and yellow underneath.

Julia