Petrel & Frigate Bird ID help please (1 Viewer)

[Dewcal]

I am writing to ask for some help in making a positive ID for the two images attached.

One is a Frigate Bird photographed in the Galapagos in August '07 - am I correc tin saying female great?

The second is a giant petrel (New Zealand, March 08) that I am inclined to think is a "southern" as the tip of the bill is "green" - is this a valid thought?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I think you're probably right about the petrel being a Southern Giant Petrel.

Mods - can you move this to the ID forum, where it might get a better response.

 

[martinf]

yep, you are right, greenish tip to bill would mean S G-p

 

[Dewcal]

Thanks

Many thanks for the two replies for the S gP ID - much appreciated. (Belated response as I have been painting ratehr than surfing!).

Now all I need to do is ID the frigate...... Will repost in ID section as suggested.

Ta again.

 

[James Lowther]

have to say

pale iris, whitish face and *pink* tip to bill (on my monitor at least) = adult northern giant petrel for my money

 

[Dewcal]

Another image

Thanks again for responses - not easy to decide between north & south! I am going to try and attach a cropped image that indicates the tip of the bill has a greenish hue (on my colour calibrated monitor).

I also understand that the Southern can have a pale iris - the following has been quoted to me "Iris colour varies with age and both Northern and some Southern have the pale iris. For further detail see Onley and Scofield (2007): Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World, AC Black, London"

Any further thoughts would be appreciated.

Dave