ID help

[Gary Brower]

Friends,

I was birding this afternoon on the Big Dry Creek Trail (in Centennial, CO —Arapahoe County).  And I’m stumped.

Into a tree flew two birds. One clearly a House Finch (red head and all). The other was similarly-sized, but with no red. What it did have, however, was a V-shaped set of feathers on its (back) — i.e., from the upper parts of each folded wing, with the “tip” of the “v” just above there rump. Again, house finch sized; finch bill. If not for the white pattern, I would have just called it a female house finch.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Gary Brower

Unincorporated Arapahoe County

[Dave Cameron]

Sounds like a "Gray-headed" form of Dark-eyed Junco.