Orange Bishop

[Bumbershooter]

Someone liiving near Discovery Park spotted an Orange Bishop a couple of weeks ago. I saw one for the last time about one week ago in my Ballard neighborhood, just above the Locks. It may have been the same bird. It was flying with a flock of juncos and looked a bit like it was molting. It nibbled at some seeds in the feeder, but didn't seem to be eating much. Has anyone else seen the Orange Bishop?

[AndyB]

Hi Bumbershooter, not sure where you live but Orange Bishops are not too rare here in southern California, mostly around reedbeds. The females look like a small, stripey sparrow in a fleeting glimpse but the males really are very striking. Here's some bad phonescoping pics I took of a male (scroll down to the very bottom of the page):
http://www.surfbirds.com/Features/phonescoping/ericssonS710/ericsson710.html

[Brian S]

Andy

Do you know if the 'Orange Bishops' in California are derived from Northern Red Bishops or Southern Red Bishops?

The length of the upper- and under-tail coverts differ as does the amount of black on the crown. On NRB the tail coverts are long and so virtually cloak the tail; on SRB the tail coverts are shorter and leave the dark tail showing. The black of the face is less extensive on the crown in SRB.

See
http://birdquest.net/afbid/birdspecies.php?func=view&slideno=13&af_bs_id=2269 - Northern

http://birdquest.net/afbid/birdspecies.php?func=view&slideno=3&af_bs_id=2270 - Southern

Brian S

[AndyB]

Hi Brian, thanks for the links. I'm guessing from my photos, that the male looks like a Southern.

[Brian S]

It's funny, as looking at the lack of an obvious dark tail (obscured by the tail coverts?), I was going the other way. We need more better pics - your task for the Spring? - if you have time, of course......:SLEEP:

Brian S

[Andy Thatcher]

Very much related Brian.

Orange Bishops were introduced into California. Not really certain when or how but an African species.