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Subject: heron: underwing [Print This Page]

Author: bittern Time: 23/07/2017 21:02 Subject: heron: underwing

I took these two photos of a bird in flight. A Yellow Bittern?

(Mai Po, yesterday)

Sorry if it seems elementary to more experienced people, but I am not sure and I cannot find much guidance on underwings in the field guides on my bookshelf.

Image Attachment: DSCN5271.JPG (23/07/2017 21:02, 118.76 KB) / Download count 453
http://hkbws.org.hk/BBS/attachment.php?aid=30501

Image Attachment: DSCN5272.JPG (23/07/2017 21:02, 56.04 KB) / Download count 456
http://hkbws.org.hk/BBS/attachment.php?aid=30502

Author: ajohn Time: 24/07/2017 07:08

It looks like a Black-crowned Night Heron. I'm not quite sure on the age from these photos, but I think it's a juvenile (maybe second summer, but certainly not adult, which are grey).

For me, the most useful feature here for identification is structure - the bird is quite bulky with a large head and heavy bill. Yellow Bittern would have a longer, slimmer bill and usually look quite slender in flight.
The second photo seems to show some dark on the rear side of the wing, which is a feature of Yellow Bittern, but I think that this is due to shadow - on the first photo it is clear that the underwing is brown without any black.

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