Expert: Julia Booth - 8/3/2008

Question
QUESTION: we've seen a blue-jay size/shape bird that is primarily grey with a tuft on its head, with a black ring around it's neck, white spots on its back and wings (non-linear), and a white belly -- what is it?

ANSWER: In the state of NY, there are a handful of birds that have crests on their heads: The Tufted Titmouse, Cedar Waxwing, Cardinal, Blue-Jay...I may have missed one. I know of no birds that are native to north America that have a black ring that goes all the way around their necks. Some have black collars and black throats.

None that I know of meet your complete description. (the Horned Lark was the closest thing I found) So, I'm thinking that my interpretation varies from your intention somehow.

Did the bird have a full on crest, the way a Cardinal does? Or did it just have a bump or slight protrustion of feathers?

Where did you see the bird?

Was it perched? If so, on a tree or on the ground or at a feeder? Did it perch vertically, like a woodpecker? Or just regularly, like a sparrow?

Was it near water? If it was near water, was it fresh or salt?

Was it in flight? If so, did you notice anything unusual, like the shape of it's wings or tail?

Did the bird make any sort of noise?

Hopefully, we will figure it out. If you want to try a search engine that breaks bird ID down by individual attribute, I recommend: http://identify.whatbird.com/mwg/_/0/attrs.aspx


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The bird had a "tuft" on its head - not a full crest and the tuft was black.  the
ring around its neck was about 1/8" wide, black, and faded into the dark grey
of its body.  The chest and stomach were white.  The bird was seen perched
like a sparrow on a feeder.  Rochester is located on the shore of Lake Ontario
(fresh water) and we have lots of wetlands in the area.  Our house isn't on the
beach and the closest water is blocks (small ponds/creeks) to miles (Lake
Ontario) away.  Didn't see it in flight and didn't hear any sounds.
Could it have been a juvenile jay of some kind?
Thanks so much!!!
Trish

Answer
I'm thinking that you're correct. A juvenile of the same species in the closest thing to your description -except the gray would be more like a gray blue shade. It does vary. Some can be bluer and some more gray.

The timing makes me think that's probably it. Lots of fledglings are out and about right now.

Here's a few images for comparison:

http://images-partners-tbn.google.com/images?q=tbn:qJ-1zGUO96KO_M:www.backyardbi

http://images-partners-tbn.google.com/images?q=tbn:3xdLTEnkkhFOrM:www.volunteers

http://images-partners-tbn.google.com/images?q=tbn:cQz5zEWZxOsIsM:www.backyardbi