I spent some time studying the growing flocks of juveniles in East Chicago, Indiana yesterday. Same "boring" species but the immense variation in their plumage is far from
boring!
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Juvenile American Herring. East Chicago, IN. 24 August 2014. |
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A rather big-eyed look to this juvenile American Herring. East Chicago, IN. 24 August 2014. |
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Juvenile American Herring. East Chicago, Indiana. 24 August 204.
Interestingly, the three outer primaries appear rounded. |
Juvenile Ring-billeds below - how can one not appreciate the incredible amount of variation in a cohort of similar aged birds, all presumably from the same colony?!
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Juvenile Ring-billed. East Chicago, IN. 24 August 2014. Cinnamon tones throughout with rather dark tertials.
Below is a juvenile with a remarkably clean underwing. The axillaries and lesser/median underwing coverts are usually edged in brownish black at this age.
For comparison, consider the hatch year Ring-billed photographed moments before the bird above:
The secondary greater coverts on the underwing are typically pale on young Ring-billeds, as is seen in both examples.
Flight shots of juvenile RBGUs:
A presumed 2nd summer completing its second prebasic molt. Some individuals show no mirror and others a relatively large mirrors on p10. This one shows a tiny spot:
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2nd cycles usually have "mostly" adult-like gray tertials, but there are individuals with rather "retarded" in black centers, like this bird: