Telling One Good Tern From Another

I think it is very difficult to ID shorebirds.  Many shorebirds species look almost identical, with only minute variations in size or coloring. In many species, appearance changes dramatically as they age, and some species even look different during different months of the year! The tern species we see around here are very confusing.  There were two species of terns at South Beach the day we went: Common Terns and Roseate Terns. During spring and summer, adult Roseate Terns can usually be identified by their thin black bills (as opposed to the orange and black bills of Common Terns). But not always.


This bird's bill looks very black, but since it is immature, a black beak is meaningless. Both species have dark bills when immature or non-breeding. Mature birds have solid black caps, but this bird has a white forehead. This bird has been banded, but that is no help to me.


The white forehead looks rather un-ternlike, but virtually all terns have a white topped head more often than not.


The dark band on the shoulders is something I associate with Common Terns, but . . .


this is also a juvenile bird, so who knows?


The best bet is to say they're all Common Terns, and let it go at that!

Name That Bird.

What is it?


It is strange-looking!


It's a gull, of course.  It is a first year Great Black-backed Gull.  You may know that gulls do not mature for two, three, or even four years (like eagles), and that their plumage is very different depending on their age.  Initially, I knew this was a Great Black-backed Gull because of it's large size compared to the Herring Gull.  I've since verified that this is indeed the markings of a first year GBBG.


You probably already know how to identify the three most common adult gulls in Massachusetts.  The Great Black-backed Gull is easy.  It is by far the biggest gull there is, it is the only gull with a jet black mantle as an  adult, it has decidedly pinkish legs and feet, and it's bill is marked with a round red spot.


The Herring Gull is the most common gull seen in Massachusetts. Adults have pale grey mantles, black tipped wings, a red spot on the bill, and pinkish legs.  In the winter their heads are often streaked with brown.


The Ring-billed Gull is smaller than a Herring Gull, but similarly colored.  Non-breeding adults and juveniles have streaky heads, and their bills are ringed with black at the end.  Ring-billed Gulls are three-year gulls, while Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed gulls are four-year gulls.  They look totally different during each of the first three or four years of their lives. 


Sometimes a gull that is normally identified by the red spot on it's beak will have a black beak one year and a black tipped beak another year.  Such is the case with GBBGs.  At three years old, it has a speckled mantle and a beak similar to the Ring-billed Gull. 


All the mystery birds I saw on South Beach are almost certainly juvenile gulls.


I have no idea what kind of gull they are, though.  After hours of  research, I had to give up.  My pictures are too blurry to match with anything.  I really saw nothing resembling these birds anywhere. But there are many species of gulls, and many varieties within a species.  I didn't even mention the Laughing Gull today, although they are also fairly common on the coast.  I wouldn't recognize an immature one, though.


Maybe you've seen one of these before?

Double Crested Cormorants

Double-crested Cormorants are common on the cape, but you will find them on the waterways and reservoirs of Framingham, as well. 


Cormorants can always be recognized, even from afar, because of the unique shape of their heads. Up close, their bright orange beaks and throat pouches make quite an impression.



Immature cormorants are lighter colored.  They look more brown than black when seen in bright sunlight.


Immature birds have paler faces and beaks, as well.  The signature shape of a cormorant head is still present, though!