LifeIzBeautiful OP t1_j7945k6 wrote on February 5, 2023 at 12:49 AM

Reply to comment by accepteverything in Anyone know what these lovely birds are? by LifeIzBeautiful

I’m really not sure! They were fairly big birds - a little larger than a robin. They were cutely round, but it was very cold. The main color seemed to be the same gray as a pigeon. They seemed to have long tails for their shape and size. The tails seemed to be forked, with longer feathers on the outsides, making a v shape. They made cute, contented bird noises, but no distinctive calls. About half of them had rosy breasts and heads (sex differentiation maybe?). They all had white lines on their wings.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get a very clear picture or video because of distance, the contrast between the bright sun and the darker thickets and the age of my phone camera.

Ricky_in_Halifax t1_j7aea11 wrote on February 5, 2023 at 8:32 AM

I believe pine grosbeak is correct. We had them here too in Central Vermont.

thisoneisnotasbad t1_j7983gs wrote on February 5, 2023 at 1:22 AM

I saw one of these today as well, it was not the purple but the brown and I also wondered what it was. I though maybe a junko but it was too big for that. At first I thought pigeon because of the size. If nobody here answers I have sent pictures to the UVM ornithology department and they have identified birds for me.