When we were in Phoenix on Sunday, my sister was asking about the identity of a bird. She says it is a light brown or tan about 6-8 inches long with a flat looking tail. What puzzled her is it washes everything? She has to clean her birdbath almost daily because it drops in rocks, leaves, pieces of plants and on Saturday it was pieces of yarn that someone must have put out for nesting material. She throws out dried bread for the doves and this bird picks it up and dumps it in the birdbath and when it's soggy, it dips it out and eats it. She can't find it in her bird book and thought I might know. She doesn't have a camera to take it's picture and we didn't see it. Thanks! dooley
Well Dooley, I really don't know! At least we know he/she like its bread soggy!! Sounds like a trash collector or maybe it is'obsessive compulsive' and wants everything in one place. I'm sure someone will be able to ID it and not just be a wise butt like me.
Can she remember if it had any other markings? Thrashers & thrush have some browns Could it be a bird thats usually near the water or shore? I dont know all the west coast birds. Crows, magpies, starlings are known for taking things and dropping them in the spot they think they belong, but theyre all black.
Spending an afternoon at the local library looking thru their books of Arizona birds is probably in store for her. There are a lot of birds that call Arizona home. She could go thru this list and see pictures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arizona_birds
I will do some more checking but she doesn't have a computer and they are handicapped without a car and the library is not close to them. She just thought I would know what it was. It could be some sort of thrasher. We do have them here. It's too dry here for a shore bird. dooley
