Female Passerines

Here are a couple female birds who look quite a bit less gaudy and distinctive than their male counterparts. The top is a Red-winged Blackbird (not quite black, not close to red-winged) and an Indigo Bunting (no visible indigo). (Technically it can be tricky to distinguish adult females with immature birds of both sexes, but I'm going with female IDs unless someone can say otherwise.)

Of course, I've shown female Red-winged Blackbirds and Indigo Buntings before, and they're certainly not the only sexually dimorphic birds flying around (including but not limited to Brown-headed Cowbirds).

It may seem chauvinistic to name birds after the appearance of the males, but:

  1. Most of the time the males are more distinctive-looking, leading to more unique names. Imagine names like Beige Bunting #2 and Dark-streaked Bird #4 as names instead.
  2. What's the alternative? Naming the birds after people comes with a whole other set of baggage.

June 29, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 301250970, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

June 29, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 301251026, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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