CLOSED: New bird in my feeder

For several days now, we have been visited a few times a day by a new bird never before seen in my area... at least by us.

About the size of a large cardinal or blue jay, this bird has a brilliant red hood with small bib. The rest of the bird is primarily a striking white with black on the leading edges of his wings, and at the base of his tail feathers. When sitting in the feeder, he appears to have a white patch below his red hood, going across his shoulders, and with his wings folded, it appears his back is black. But when he flies away, you can tell the black is on the front edge of his wings and the rest of his wings and body are pretty much all white except for the dab of black along the base of his tail feathers. He eats the black sunflower and other seed in the commercial mixes. He's pretty skiddish and elusive. Have not heard his song. The Red Headed Woodpecker is similar in size, but the black and white on the body of the woodpecker is just the opposite of this bird in every picture I've seen.

Any ideas?

Hi Robert, If you don't get an answer here. Go under Basics here, click on each category like Location, Bill Size etc. filling in as much information as you can to see what they come up with.

http://identify.whatbird.com/mwg/_/0/attrs.aspx

Apart from Red-headed Woodpecker, all I can think it could be is an escaped cagebird of some sort.

Any hope of getting a photo?

Resin

This one?...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cema.edu.ar/eventos/muestras/rodriguez/img/aves1/38.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cema.edu.ar/eventos/muestras/rodriguez/38.html&usg=__ngJTYy3z2FOXk5NpgXAg0sWz880=&h=600&w=400&sz=55&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=Q1EMkYGq43gsEM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3DParoaria%2Bcoronata%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4DKUS_enUS220US220%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Or this?..

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/7830461.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7830461&usg=__rUTQc6qxOf_QS-WmAnJX8q4ggGY=&h=1022&w=1454&sz=576&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=47q1kl7bjI6FfM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3DParoaria%2Bgularis%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4DKUS_enUS220US220%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Maybe an escapee from the Sedgwick County Zoo (they have these guys on exhibit)

OldNed -

I don't think so. No topnotch that I could tell. Definitely not the second one, as the hood is totally red... no black at all.

How are things on Merritt Island? I grew up in Palm Beach County. Small world.

pelletory,
Thanks for the link to the bird basics page. Unfortunately, it keeps telling me this bird is a titmouse, which isn't even close.

I wonder if it could be a variation of the Red Headed Woodpecker, but I can't find any references to any kind of variation.

Look at a perching Red Head. Following the Red Hood down his back you see a black patch across the shoulders, followed by a white patch on the lower back, followed by a black tail.

My bird: From the Red Hood down his back you see a white patch across his shoulders, followed by a black patch on the lower back (actually on the wings, however), followed by tail feathers that start black and quickly fade to bright white.

Flying: The black is only on the leading edge of the wings, and the base of the tail feathers. Everything else is bright white except for the red hood.

We have lots of Red Heads around here. I have seen them perched on tree trunks and utility poles like woodpeckers do; sometimes even on the ground grubbing for bugs, but never before on a feeder eating sunflower seeds, or with this color pattern.

Strange bird, indeed.

could it be a partial albino red head woodpecker? Basically a normal red head with a lot more white than usual?

jec6 -

That's what it looks like, except that I've never had a woodpecker at the sunflower seed feeder before. But I think he's moved on as he hasn't appeared since Wednesday or so.

Thanks to all. I'll close this thread for now.