Can you help ID this bird please?
- Thread starter Marilynne
- Start date
Gulls can be very hard to ID, (at least for me) but I agree that the fellow on the right seems to be a young Herring Gull. I think he is too large to be a Ringed-billed. Immature gulls are especially hard for me to ID, though, so more opinions would be good.
Thanks kindly, @Stoshowicz and @Woodyg3 -- seagulls and pigeons are my two favorite birds. I need to learn more about both.
As I said earlier, I had no idea there were different varieties of gulls, but then again, I never looked them up in a bird book. Since we have a lot of both birds due to a landfill, I want to know more about both types. Thanks again.
Short Tailed Hawk??????
looks like the google image i am looking at
Stoshowicz
Senior Member
View attachment 280593Whoa , tough call ! , while it looks like it could be the short -tailed hawk dark morph, it could also be the immature broad winged hawk dark morph. ..
Since you're usually up north, I lean towards calling it the broad winged , and say its because the secondaries don't appear to be subtly darker than the primaries , the leading edge of the wing is rather straight. This is a known short tailed , and I dont see them secondaries being noticeably darker.
Since you're usually up north, I lean towards calling it the broad winged , and say its because the secondaries don't appear to be subtly darker than the primaries , the leading edge of the wing is rather straight. This is a known short tailed , and I dont see them secondaries being noticeably darker.
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This is in Lakeland Florida last week
Stoshowicz
Senior Member
Then , honestly , I cant tell, because it still looks more like the broad winged to me., and the 'normal' call down here through central fl is short tailed. If you noted the hawk kiting in place that would help.
I think some broad wings are passing through right now though.
I think some broad wings are passing through right now though.
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It sat in place for a good while then ripped at some grackles too fast for me to track
Stoshowicz
Senior Member
Sounds like a bird eater to me. I , last night went back to my books , but I was still unconvinced either way, so personally I would trust your call whichever way you made it , having seen the bird live. View attachment 280654It sat in place for a good while then ripped at some grackles too fast for me to track
I think the norm for this Central fl location is usually long billed , since its inland fresh water, ebird confirms it as short billed , and I agree with them, the neck looks tucked in belly and back flat , and the bill isnt excessive ( I have a better shot if the tail if you want to see it) but anyway I wonder how many of the reports are one person following the lead of the next , because they really are very much alike. For some distinctions I think it may really be ones innate bias what they decide. You come down to fla , and I want you to have the short-tailed , ( marvelous to watch ) but that isnt really scientific.
Care to weigh in on the Dowitcher?
Anyway , I saw a pair of broadwings hunting down here once, they made short trips through the understory , then perched a while , and moved on , in tandem. The short-tail , did the divebombing thing like a falcon. Wheeler and Stokes didnt have a pic of the dark version of the broadwing , so Perhaps its rare. Dunno.
OOp , I went back and checked , and it seems they changed to long-billed , whatever.
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Not sure what I have here. Small duck in New York area. Hanging near a flock of ringed neck ducks. Only two of these hanging together. Head looks like a black duck or mallard. It just seemed very compact though, short neck and low floating. Tail looks odd too. Smaller body, not as big as the ringed necks nearby.
nikonpup
Senior Member
ruddy duck.
Thanks! Not something I remember ever seeing here at my lake.
Not sure,but try Lesser Scaup. Closest I could find.
I think you are right. I wonder if it is a male transitioning from breeding colors to non-breeding?