Herring?

[IKLland 1,261]

yesterday orange county, ca

thanks!

both are the same bird

 

[AlexHenry 1,814]

Absolutely! Pink legs, pale yellow iris, yellow orbital ring. Pale upperparts with black primaries.

[IKLland 1,261]

4 hours ago, AlexHenry said:

Absolutely! Pink legs, pale yellow iris, yellow orbital ring. Pale upperparts with black primaries.

Thanks- it’s the pale eye that rules out thayer’s, right?

[AlexHenry 1,814]

2 hours ago, IKLland said:

Thanks- it’s the pale eye that rules out thayer’s, right?

Thayer’s can have pale-ish irises, but the really bright clean yellow iris is a good field mark for Herring. Also, the orbital ring (skin just around the eye) is yellow on Herring, vs pinkish on Thayer’s.

The big bulky shape of the head, the very stout bill, and the black primaries (including underside) all help rule out Thayer’s.