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Ceramic Bird I.D. Mystery
A reader writes:
Can you ID the type of bird in these photos?
I am giving this as a Mother's Day gift and would like to maybe get a little background on the type of bird. It's made in China.
I have the Audubon Field Guide and saw a couple similar — maybe wrens?
Would you have any idea? Thanks for any help.
I thought it might be a generic thrush or something. Not sure about that flower.
A Britsh bird? What do you think?
2 comments
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Wow. Very interesting.
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Society finch and hydrangea?
I took the fact that the statue was made in China and the hydrangea – a plant native to China — to be pertinent clues. In Chinese culture, hydrangeas signify love and gratitude. The bird’s passerine-type feet and conical bill led me to think of a finch. However, nowhere in Mark Brazil’s Birds of East Asia guide could I find a good match for the bird’s plain pale brown above and white below coloration. But I remembered that domesticated birds and flowers are common themes in Asian art going back centuries. Society finches were first bred by the Chinese. These birds are commonly variegated brown and white with a fawn and white recessive type. One website on pets declares society finches to be “the perfect parents”. Altogether, these features make this artwork the perfect Mother’s Day gift!
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2 comments
Jim Wright
Wow. Very interesting.
Diane L.
Society finch and hydrangea?
I took the fact that the statue was made in China and the hydrangea – a plant native to China — to be pertinent clues. In Chinese culture, hydrangeas signify love and gratitude. The bird’s passerine-type feet and conical bill led me to think of a finch. However, nowhere in Mark Brazil’s Birds of East Asia guide could I find a good match for the bird’s plain pale brown above and white below coloration. But I remembered that domesticated birds and flowers are common themes in Asian art going back centuries. Society finches were first bred by the Chinese. These birds are commonly variegated brown and white with a fawn and white recessive type. One website on pets declares society finches to be “the perfect parents”. Altogether, these features make this artwork the perfect Mother’s Day gift!