A new species!!

Yes ... it's true. I have discovered a new species of bird.

It happened like this. I was out in the back yard at my father's in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, when I spotted a Carolina wren. I got one picture of it before it took off, scared away by a somewhat larger bird.
That bird was obviously a cardinal. I had been trying, for the last couple of weeks, to get a picture of the pair that move through the yard early in the morning, but with no success. Now, though it wasn't the right time of day, here he was (though I couldn't spot her)! So I snapped a few pictures.

But imagine my surprise when I realized that it was not a cardinal after all!

This is quite clearly a tiny scarlet vulture!

Feast your eyes on it. Isn't it gorgeous?



(But seriously: what is going on with this bird? Is this a normal molt?)