Mystery Bird photographed at Sri Phang Nga National Park, Phang Nga province on the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Alex Vargas, 20 May 2011 (with permission) [velociraptorize].
Nikon D5000, Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR 1/40s f/4.0 at 300.0mm iso800
This Thai mystery bird is part of an interesting little genus that was recently relocated from one taxonomic family into another. What family was this bird originally placed into and what family is it now part of? Can you identify this bird? What sex is this bird?
About the Daily Mystery Bird:
The Rules:
1. Keep in mind that people live in zillions of different time zones around the globe, and some people are following on their mobile phones. So let everyone play the game. Wait to identify the bird until 24 to 36 hours after it's been published.
2. If you know the bird's identity, provide subtle hints to let others know that you know. Your hints may be helpful as small clues to less experienced players.
3. Describe the key field marks that distinguish this species from any similar ones.
4. Comments that spoil others' enjoyment may be deleted.
The Game:
1. This is meant to be a learning experience where together we learn a few things about birds and about the process of identifying them (and maybe about ourselves, too).
2. Each mystery bird is usually accompanied by a question or two. These questions can be useful for identifying the pictured species, but may instead be used to illustrate an interesting aspect of avian biology, behaviour or evolution, or may be intended to generate conversation on other topics, such as conservation or ethics.
3. Thoughtful comments will add to everyone's enjoyment, and will keep the suspense going until the next teaser is published. Interesting snippets may add to the knowledge of all.
4. Each bird species will be demystified approximately 48 hours after publication.
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and (mostly) appreciative international audience here at The Guardian, feel free to contact me to learn more.
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Comments
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6 January 2012 4:44PM
Opinions differ over whether this is a thrush or a flycatcher.
A member of a small genus of river- and stream-side specialists.
6 January 2012 4:45PM
Daft, authentic plonkers.
6 January 2012 4:51PM
ah! slowing down in your old age?
6 January 2012 4:51PM
I believe they were formerly in the thrush family Turdidae, but are more often now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. This is a male - females are similar, but the entire back is chestnut.
6 January 2012 4:53PM
Not at all! I just feel I should wait fifteen minutes before posting!
6 January 2012 5:10PM
Like many stream-side birds, this E. & S.E. Asian genus is predominantly strongly pied b/w, but this one is the only species to have any additional colour (besides grey), and this shot clearly shows the rufous-chestnut head and shoulders that gives its vernacular name.
Allied with the chats and robins, it (along with the chats & robins) has recently been shifted from the thrush to the flycatcher family.
To find its name, use runic! sulfuric pail!
6 January 2012 5:10PM
ok! thank you for thinking of others ...
but i had to take the piss out of you anyway because, well, i can!
6 January 2012 5:33PM
The long winter evenings must just fly by...
7 January 2012 2:38AM
What would you say, Ed, to regular contributors of comment hanging fire for even longer, in the spirit of opening things up more for others ... in the spirit of GS's requests that contributors not make explicit IDs until a good while after posting?
I can very easily imagine that many would-be contributors might get discouraged by us usual suspects getting in there within minutes of posting with pretty secure-sounding IDs before the Mystery Bird is even an hour old - even though the IDs are cloaked in anagrams, cryptic clues or what-have-you. I know it's very tempting to so jump in, and I succumb myself often enough, but ... ...
I dunno, but I get the impression that the field of contributors has narrowed significantly in the last months ... but maybe that's just statistical noise ...
... just asking what you and/or others and/or GS might think.
7 January 2012 3:29AM
If I think I stand a chance of IDing, I usually ignore others' posts and get on with trying to ID from the photo alone, or combined with GS comments/questions. Once I have a tentative ID, I might check to see if others agree, such as by rearranging anagrams. In my time zone I don't have a shot at being first unless I check in before breakfast. If I stand no chance of IDing, I dive right in to the posts to get more clues so that I can learn.
I must say I find the discussion more interesting if there is debate over the ID or the question, and when there is more information than just the taxonomy.
I do appreciate the effort put in by more learned birders than myself, in responding to questions on how species x or y has been ruled out. In the field I rely much more on location, posture, movement, and voice for ID than on small visual details of plumage, so I am challenged by the photo only format.
7 January 2012 2:06PM
Shall we say nothing before one hour after posting?
7 January 2012 2:23PM
I can never work out the anagrams anyway :) My bird experience is limited to Africa, Australia (parts of), UK as a child and trying to learn US now. I appreciate the stuff about behaviour, habitat etc etc for birds I don't know. That way I feel that I am learning. As for THIS bird, all I can say is ...wow, I mean, just...look...at...it. It's astonishing. No idea what it is though.
7 January 2012 5:09PM
We could give it a go, and see if it makes any difference?
8 January 2012 7:41PM
thanks everyone for your comments. and yes, jammerlappie, this is just such a gorgeous bird. i emailed the photographer and asked how he got his photographs (he's got 7 or 8 stunning photos, i only showed one to you) since this is such a shy species ... i include his comments in the demystification.
this bird has been demystified here (includes video).