BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lee J" data-source="post: 1185811" data-attributes="member: 59638"><p>Again agree with the ID that this bird is definatly a Common Tern and of the race hirundo. There appears to be a small number of individuals of this sub species that do retain thier 'winter plumage black bills' all year round. At my local reserve of Marsh Lane, West mids there is one particular bird that has returned every year for the past 3 years that has an all dark bill for the whole of the summer period. There are also other individuals that return to sites in the midlands that have differing colours to the bill, ranging from very orange with well deffined black tips, through to a more diffuse black tip and birds with a much darker blood red colour</p></blockquote><p></p>