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05-08-2007, 08:09 PM
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#1 of 12 
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Member
Location: The stars at night.....
Join Date: Jul 1999
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Local Date: 08-29-2008
Posts: 5,668
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What bird did I see?
The location was Central Texas.
There were 6 of these together standing in the road. They were the size of a small duck, brown to black in color, some displaying a fan tail.
The necks had some iridescent feathers and the beaks had a small white band at the top.
Puffy chests.
I had time to get a good look because they were completely unconcerned that I had rolled up next to them in a car.
I've been to some of the bird ID sites and not come close.
The most distinctive thing was the fan tail, and that they seemed to have no clue that they should flee.
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05-08-2007, 08:24 PM
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#2 of 12
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Bryan
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Re: What bird did I see?
Some type of pheasant?
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05-08-2007, 08:25 PM
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#3 of 12
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Kurt
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Location: SE of Florida
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Re: What bird did I see?
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05-08-2007, 09:34 PM
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#4 of 12
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Member
Location: The stars at night.....
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Re: What bird did I see?
No and no.
Did I mention the fan tail?
Like a peacock or turkey. A fan.
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05-08-2007, 10:08 PM
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#5 of 12
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Member
Location: Rensselaer, NY
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Re: What bird did I see?
Thunder chicken?
There's Jessie the yodeling cowgirl. Bullseye, he's Woody's horse. Pete the old prospector. And, Woody, the man himself. Of course, it's time for Woody's RoundUp. He's the very best! He's the rootinest, tootinest cowboy in the wild, wild west!
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05-08-2007, 10:38 PM
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#6 of 12
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Kurt
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Location: SE of Florida
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Re: What bird did I see?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Henry Gale
No and no.
Did I mention the fan tail?
Like a peacock or turkey. A fan.
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I think a prairie chicken is a lot like a turkey. They do a kind of puffed out, spread tailed mating dance. Here's what that would look like:
http://www.audubon.org/News/press/Mi...ie_Chicken.jpg
Ordinarily, they'd look like the first picture. If they were mating, it might explain whey they ignored you. They had more important things on their mind. 
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05-09-2007, 05:35 AM
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#7 of 12
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Re: What bird did I see?
Sounds like a Ruffed Grouse 
This is what they look like while they are trying to attract the ladies, the one you saw might not have had his neck puffed up. |
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05-09-2007, 06:01 AM
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#8 of 12
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Member
Location: The stars at night.....
Join Date: Jul 1999
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Re: What bird did I see?
The closest thing I've seen was a photo of a white fan-tailed pigeon. Except my birds were not white.
A co-worker suggested they were someones escaped pets which might explain why they were completely defenseless.
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05-09-2007, 06:05 AM
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#9 of 12
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Bryan
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Re: What bird did I see?
I thought of the Ruffed Grouse too, Jassen, but from what I've read they aren't native to Texas. They're more of a Northern US/Canadian bird and they are non-migratory.
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05-09-2007, 06:32 AM
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#10 of 12
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Jay
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Re: What bird did I see?
...and if they are the grouse that I normally see in the woods of the catskills, they tend to fly on detecting you.
Turkeys, canadian geese, pheasents, pidgeons tend not to panic as much and will sort of walk away and they are commonly grouped in large packs/flocks.
Jay
You are the crispy noodle in the vegetarian salad of life
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05-09-2007, 08:18 AM
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#11 of 12 | |
