This is an immature lacking the bright red bill and frontal shield of the adult but starting to show a trace of yellow on the bill tip. First reported last Sunday, this individual seems to have settled in to a small golf course pond. Although they breed locally in parts of the San Francisco Bay area, they remain a very scarce visitor here in San Mateo County. Rather shy and reclusive, this is the North America subspecies G. g. cachinnans which is characterized by its more extensive brown back including wing coverts as seen here.
