August 2024 Quiz

 

June. New York.

Age: Both individuals are molting mid-outer primaries. These are one-year olds in their 2nd molt cycle (undergoing their 2nd prebasic molt).

The new inner primaries are 2nd generation (2nd basic) and the retained outer primaries are juvenile (1st basic). Both individuals have retained juvenile secondaries, and the individual on the right has retained juvenile tail feathers (which hold an important pattern used for identification).  

Identification: Notice the largely black bill on the individual on the left. This is a larger bird with massive bill, bull-neck and blocky head. The solid dark upperparts and whitish body point directly to Great Black-backed, which it is. The paler individual on the right with black bill tip and silvery scapulars is a typical American Herring, as suggested by the dark tail base.