Can first year Common Tern have orange legs? (1 Viewer)

[jmepler]

I saw this bird today in south central Pennsylvania. There were Forster's and Common Terns there, but this guy stayed with the Caspian Terns. It was also not plunge diving, but swooping down to pick up prey off the surface of the water. Can a first year Common Tern still have orange legs? Or is it a Least Tern. I didn't notice it was banded until looking through my pictures.

 

[birdmeister]

Sibley 2014 shows "fresh juvenile" (Jul-Aug) Common Tern having orange legs. Head and wing pattern seem to fit Common perfectly and not Least, too.

 

[jmepler]

Sibley 2014 shows "fresh juvenile" (Jul-Aug) Common Tern having orange legs. Head and wing pattern seem to fit Common perfectly and not Least, too.

Thanks, others have also agreed that it is a Common Tern. I think it was the proximity to the Caspian Terns that made it seem so small.

 

[CARERY]

I think it's a 2cy Common Tern, note the very worn outermost primary which is still juvenile while the others are already moulted.