Lesser or Greater?
Taken at Pine Point, ME several weeks ago. His bill is slightly longer than the head, and slightly upturned; and there is a slight streaking on the flank. I wasn't sure if these attributes are pronounced enough for him to be considered a Greater Yellowlegs. I had initially titled my file as Lesser, but now I'm thinking otherwise. Any help welcomed.
Hi Bill- Yours is a Greater Yellowlegs. From late summer to late fall I have both species locally and tell them apart quickly by size, overall gray head and upper breast compared to the speckled Greater, and a softer look in the face. In my experience the bills are variable in the Greaters but generally they are like yours- large and slightly upturned. Compare that to the Lesser's bill posted- straight and finer.
Last edited by John Chardine; 10-07-2010 at 08:23 PM.
Thanks John.
Thanks for the great reply John, I've had trouble with this same identification in the past. Two great images, they really help to clear things up.
A good rule of thumb is to look at the length of the bill relative to the head. In Lesser the ratio is around 1:1. In Greater it's usually between 1.5:1 and 2:1. You can very clearly see that difference in the two images above.
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