Anyone know what kind of bird this baby is?

My mom found this bird in her yard she thinks it might be a red tailed hawk as there is a nest nearby. I think it looks like a Swift - but the legs look too long.

And she didn't know about the nest until the next day(but I really don't see how this could be a red tailed hawk doesnt look like any pics I've seen) - but they heard this bird squawking in their driveway and brought it in to take to a rescue - because where they live there are lots of snakes/coyotes/hawks and other predators that would have probably gotten it if they left it out there overnight.

It was found in Riverside County Southern California. The terrain in this particular area is hilly chaparral.

Ideas? Thanks!

This message was edited Aug 1, 2009 6:06 PM

This message was edited Aug 1, 2009 6:14 PM

Here is another pic, sorry for the low quality.

I don't think it's a baby Red Tailed Hawk, to small. Here are some photo's of baby red tailed hawks: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=images+of+baby+red+tailed+hawk&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=M-h0SsOpOJeEtge9x-yWCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

I'm not sure what kind of bird it is though as I don't know what backyard birds are commonly found in Colorado. My first thought was it looked like the northern mockingbird which is real common down here in Florida, but maybe it is a sparrow or finch of some sort? Here are some pic's of baby finches: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=images+of+baby+house+finches&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=mOp0SsCWDM_7tgfFytCWCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1 for comparison.

Hopefully someone will come along and take a look and be able to give you a correct ID.

I am in Colorado but the bird was in Southern California. Thanks for the links! I think you're right about it being a mockingbird.

http://www.carolwells.com/Baby_Mockingbird_Wells.JPG

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3298/3516677305_ee194ff5e3.jpg

This message was edited Aug 1, 2009 6:57 PM

That's such a cutie in that first link! We have many, many "Mockers" here in Florida ... one of the only birds I know of that will nest low in shrubs and trees. We had a pair nest last year in a hibiscus bush and the nest was only about 5' off the ground ... I could stand and look right into it. The babies were so cute but we think Swallow Tailed Kites got all of them. :(

Maybe a Brewer's Blackbird.

Best to do on finding a young bird like this 'at risk' on the ground is to pick it up gently, and park it on a twig in a shrub nearby, where the parents will find it easily, but where it is out of reach of ground predators.

Resin

I googled for images of baby Brewers Blackbird and found this one which is kind of hard to see: http://www.camarillowildliferehabilitation.org/a_Web_Brewers_Black_Bird.jpg
and this one here: http://atowhee.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/img_8141.jpg whose beak looks a bit longer than the baby in your photo.

Thanks for all the responses! The pics are kind of poor quality, but when comparing the legs of other mockingbirds and this bird they look very similar.

I knew the Northern Mockingbird was a fairly common bird in some parts of the U.S., but had no idea of it's huge range: http://whatbird.wbu.com/obj/158/_/Northern_Mockingbird.aspx

LOL ... I don't know birds any more than I know plants. Just like when googling for images of a particular plant ... sometimes the photo's are not correct.

Now I'm going googling American Dipper ... never heard of it and he sure is a cute lil' fella!

Resin: Thank you! I Love this place, learn new stuff every day! Very interesting bird the American Dipper!

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Dipper/id

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Featured_Birds/default.cfm?bird=American_Dipper

http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=30&articleID=276

Looking at that photo at the national zoo site, it looks a lot like the bird in question trying to be identified! May not be a Northern Mockingbird after all!

Sorry, the original bird for ident isn't a Dipper - although it's in Riverside County, it is in hilly chaparral; a Dipper would be right on the river side (when not actually in the river!)

Resin