MARY MCKITRICK

Dear readers, despite the perversity that occasionally characterizes this feature, contrary to appearances this mystery species has not been decapitated or otherwise mutilated. Rather it represents what a creative photographer can do with skill, patience, or luck. At the outset, let me also be clear that the dead, jaw-shaped leaf hanging to the right of the bird had nothing to do with the apparent loss of the bird’s head. The unusual photograph simply captures a moment in time unlikely to be seen by using binoculars. Birds regularly assume postures or positions that even the most discerning eyes are frequently unable to see.

The primary challenge in appreciating this unique freeze-frame is to determine what kind of bird are we looking at. The black-and-white version of the image is undoubtedly more challenging to identify than the color photograph on the Bird Observer website. Because many of the definitive features of the mystery bird are most obvious in the web version, the comments that follow emphasize the color version.