Bird? Turkey size-grey body, black head with white horizontal stripe

[Rambis]

orange curved bill? It walked close to the ground like a turkey. We saw it in Iowa yesterday- It's face almost looked like a puffin? Searching the internets has been unsuccessful so I come to DU for help-

[auntAgonist]

1. Puffin

That's what I found doing a search on google.

The ONLY thing is, is that they are not as big as turkeys. Puffins are usually 10 inches tall (18 cm), which is about the height of a quart jug of milk. The puffin weighs about 500 grams, similar to a can of soda.

[Rambis]

3. too small this thing was turkey size very wide (nm)

x

[auntAgonist]

5. yeah, I just edited my post ...

Puffins are usually 10 inches tall (18 cm), which is about the height of a quart jug of milk. The puffin weighs about 500 grams, similar to a can of soda.

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Ibis would be my first guess.

[Rambis]

4. curved short bill like a parrot and short legs (nm)

x

[Gormy Cuss]

6. A moorhen? --nix that. I agree with texas1928.

A patridge seems to fit the description better.

[Chan790]

7. Dodo?

If so, you're the zoologist of the century because they're extinct and were only native to a single island in the Indian Ocean.

[otherlander]

8. Pheasant?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Pheasant

[Rambis]

14. tasty bird but no (nm)

x

[texas1928]

9. Sounds like this bird, a partridge.

[zanne]

11. Beautiful. nt

[Rambis]

12. Could be a mutant partridge

this ting was the size of a turkey

[texas1928]

15. Those pics don't really do them justice,

They are fairly good sized. And if it was a domesticated one, that got lose. It could be larger.

[Rambis]

16. closest so far

the all black head with white horizontal stripe still puzzles me but I think you have it.
I am going to see if anyone else got a look at it.

thanks all

[havocmom]

10. Anything like these? We have lots of these around.

[Rambis]

13. short neck

very black head with distinct white stripe - It looked like a turkey with those colors an orange parrot beak.

We have a turkey plant in town that does genetic testing I am thinking a frankenstein type turkey is loose.

[NMDemDist2]

17. turkey vulture?

[Rambis]

18. No

round black head with horizontal stripe short curved orange beak-Damnedest thing I have ever seen.

[semillama]

19. How about Guinea Fowl?

[TZ]

22. D'oh! you beat me to it.

Thats what I think. Some people around here keep them and raise them for food...

[Rambis]

24. YES!!!!!!!!

spot on!
Cheers!

[blindpig]

20. Guinea Fowl?

[alarimer]

21. Puffins are marine birds and wouldn't be found in Iowa

Unless it escaped from a zoo or was SERIOUSLY off-course.

Anyway, it's too small.

[suninvited]

25. According to Wikipedias list of birds for Iowa

Puffins ARE in Iowa. I was surprised, too.

That is a Puffin.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. A Canada goose is almost turkey-sized, has a gray body

and a black head with a white stripe on its face. But it doesn't have an orange curved bill. So I think you found a mutant cross between a goose and a puffin.

[suninvited]

26. It sure looks like this to me

Head is turned a little different, and this one is standing taller.

Was it near water?

[Schema Thing]

27. Orangpussedplatyskunkin?

[Shakespeare]

34. He wasn't posting a pic of the bird he saw, just one he found that slightly resembled it.

He's already said upthread (after someone posted a photo) that it was a guinea fowl. Lots of folks raise those along with chickens, ducks, etc.

[suninvited]

35. I am glad you explained that

I thought everyone had gone nuts saying that was a picture of a guinea!

[BurtWorm]

28. Great tit?

:think:

[TZ]

30. ...

You are a bit obsessed with that bird eh? I'm going to have to call you temeah2 if you are not careful....

[BurtWorm]

31. Birds of a feather...

:crazy:

[XemaSab]

29. Guinea fowl?

(Not a native bird... I can't think of a native bird other than a duck or a goose REMOTELY close to that description.)

[hyphenate]

32. It looks like a different

breed of puffin. Sort of like penguins, in that there are differences between different breeds.




Also, from that website, more birds than you can shake a stick at.

http://www.birdsasart.com/bn212.htm

[hyphenate]

33. Here's a site for you to snoop around:

http://www.projectpuffin.org/puffins.html