Bird ID

The purpose of this forum is to help people identify things they've seen while out hiking: wildflowers, trees, birds, insects, small animals, animal tracks, even geographical features like buttes or streams
Post Reply
User avatar
derwoodynck
Posts: 286
Joined: April 21st, 2013, 2:26 pm
Contact:

Bird ID

Post by derwoodynck » November 4th, 2018, 8:32 am

Looking for a little help on this white bird seen at Tule Lake in early Oct.

Image

For size reference here it is behind some white pelicans.

Image

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Bird ID

Post by kepPNW » November 4th, 2018, 9:05 am

The neck would offer a lot of clues. First thought was some type of egret. Sometimes they'll sit with that long neck of theirs all tucked down...

Karl
Back on the trail, again...

User avatar
bobcat
Posts: 2764
Joined: August 1st, 2011, 7:51 am
Location: SW Portland

Re: Bird ID

Post by bobcat » November 4th, 2018, 9:51 am

It's a snowy egret - black legs, yellow feet, black bill. The only other egret it can be confused with is the cattle egret, which has a yellow bill.

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: Bird ID

Post by kepPNW » November 4th, 2018, 10:00 am

bobcat wrote:
November 4th, 2018, 9:51 am
It's a snowy egret - black legs, yellow feet, black bill. The only other egret it can be confused with is the cattle egret, which has a yellow bill.
Ha! I was going to suggest that, and in fact got that photo I used from the Wikipedia page for snowy egrets. But the mapped range, on the same page, led me to think there must be more look-alikes locally? Maybe not!
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

User avatar
bobcat
Posts: 2764
Joined: August 1st, 2011, 7:51 am
Location: SW Portland

Re: Bird ID

Post by bobcat » November 4th, 2018, 3:29 pm

Here's the ODFW page: https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/spe ... and-egrets

The maps I've seen are a bit off in term of range and season. I've seen them most times I go to the Klamath Falls area and also Malheur NWR (Yes, also around Tule Lake). The only look alike is the cattle egret, which is much less frequently seen in Oregon. The only other white egret (the great or common egret) is much larger and poses with its long neck in an S shape. They are everywhere - literally - on five continents!

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Bird ID

Post by adamschneider » November 4th, 2018, 9:56 pm

Good to know about the black vs. yellow bills. (I've only seen cattle egrets in Hawaii so far.)

User avatar
derwoodynck
Posts: 286
Joined: April 21st, 2013, 2:26 pm
Contact:

Re: Bird ID

Post by derwoodynck » November 5th, 2018, 6:33 am

Thanks - I should have guessed some kind of egrets but didn't know about the bills. Just a bit to the left of that one this was going on. :lol:

Image

Of course those were the yellow bill variety.

Image

Post Reply