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Heron ID (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Brian Stone
- Start date
gthang
Ford Focus Fanatic: mmmmmm... 3.1415926535.....
I'm not sure. Since I don't have a field guide to birds of the world, it could be hard to tell. Anyway, here's a picture of a grey heron from BirdForum's database:
http://www.birdforum.net/bird_view.php?bid=3706
http://www.birdforum.net/bird_view.php?bid=3706
Brian Stone
A Stone chatting
The question really is can Great Blue Heron ever look like this?
Jane Turner
Well-known member
For a moment I was thinking Grey Heron or a juv. White-necked Heron (Ardea cocoi). Wouldn't that be a spectacular find in Bermuda! I'm now thinking either a juv. or adult Great Blue, possibly from N. South America/S. West Indies. I've seen very similar birds on some of the Islands off N. SA. They varied from normal through white, with every possible shade & combination in between. That would explain the thigh colour, which seems to be paler than would be expected on any NA birds including "Wurdeman's", regardless of age.
Hal
Hal
Dave B Smith
Well-known member
Looks like a juvenile Great Blue Heron.
Katy Penland
Well-known member
Looks like a very young GBH to me, possibly just pre-fledge, with that still-streaky breast and cap. The bill size is okay; young GBHs are all beak and legs. Is there any reason to think this isn't a GBH?
Attached is a GBH chick literally taking its first step off the nest (to the photo's left but out of frame) and two wing-flaps later, it was airborne for its maiden flight to another tree about 200 yards away. While the breast streaking is still there, the cap is more solid and the warmer blush is starting to appear (missing in Brian's younger bird). Apologies for the poor scan.
Attached is a GBH chick literally taking its first step off the nest (to the photo's left but out of frame) and two wing-flaps later, it was airborne for its maiden flight to another tree about 200 yards away. While the breast streaking is still there, the cap is more solid and the warmer blush is starting to appear (missing in Brian's younger bird). Apologies for the poor scan.
Attachments
Michael Frankis
conehead
If it is a Great Blue, why is there no brown on the thighs? KP's pic does show that, Brian's doesn't.
Can Great Blue ever have pale grey thighs?
Michael
Can Great Blue ever have pale grey thighs?
Michael
Rasmus Boegh
BF member
I'd agree on it probably being Great Blue. Very young birds have much paler thights, sometimes almost appearing white. Of course there's also the White form and Wurdermann's.
Have a look at these Great Blue's:
http://www.slovinfamily.com/albums/LongboatKeyBirds/images/Great Blue Heron.jpg
http://www.nature-photos.org/images/gbhergal/longneck_great_blue_heron_2.jpg
Have a look at these Great Blue's:
http://www.slovinfamily.com/albums/LongboatKeyBirds/images/Great Blue Heron.jpg
http://www.nature-photos.org/images/gbhergal/longneck_great_blue_heron_2.jpg
Last edited:
Katy Penland
Well-known member
Good point. The adults that I've photo'd all have that warm blush on their thighs (as in the attached), as well as more rufous on the "shoulders." The two shots I have of a pre-fledge in the nest don't show that, but the light is so poor that even scanned and bumped up, it was (to me) inconclusive as to blush or no blush. GBH plumage changes drastically in a short amount of time, from nestling to fledgling stages, and the younger birds don't have any warm coloration to them at all; they're all varying shades of gray and white (2nd photo).Michael Frankis said:
Attachments
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Just a thought... wonder what a juvy one of these looks like
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=9451
Cocoi Heron - taken on Trinidad
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=9451
Cocoi Heron - taken on Trinidad
Rasmus Boegh
BF member
Jane Turner said:
An understandable thought, though me being very familiar with that species; the first photo isn't one of those. Already when very young (pre-fledge), Cocoi show a larger area of bare skin in the face and the cap is also much more distinct, already in juv's it's completely dark - as in adults.
The origin of the birds alone gives us the ID; one thing is if an adult Cocoi or Grey made it that far away from "home", that would quite certainly be possible; but we are talking at least two individuals, and then they should meet up and breed!!! Anyway, it fits fine with pre-fledge Great Blue Heron...
