ABA Photo Quiz

ABA Online Bird Photo Quiz 69

Answer

Bird Photo

[+] Click Image for Larger Version

This month's quiz bird is fairly obviously a white heron of some sort, with its virtually all-white plumage and long, trailing legs. Assuming that our bird is not abnormally white, the list of possibilities consists of eight or nine species: Great, Intermediate, Chinese, Little, Snowy, Reddish, and Cattle egrets and Little Blue Heron and Western Reef-Heron. While the last species has occurred in the ABA area, there is not definitive proof that a white-morph individual has occurred, so we'll, tentatively, excise that species from the list.

Our bird has yellowish legs and a pale bill, so we might arbitrarily eliminate those black-billed species and black-legged species that make up a large percentage of our list of possibles. However, juveniles of most or all species have soft parts of different colorations than do older birds, so let's not be quite so hasty.

As our bird is old enough to be flying, the complete lack of black on the legs may, indeed, eliminate Great, Snowy, and Little egrets, as once juveniles of those species reach flying age, they usually have at least some black on the legs. We could go through a lot of other features, but, despite my abhorrence for single-field-mark identifications, I'm going to do exactly that. Looking at our bird's wingtips, we can see that the outer 3-5 primaries are tipped dark. Thus, our bird is a juvenile Little Blue Heron.

I took this picture of a juvenile Little Blue Heron at Sunset Beach, Cape May Point, Cape May Co., NJ, on 21 September 2008.

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The following people (listed by submission date beginning with the earliest) submitted correct answers for the December Bird Photo Quiz—Little Blue Heron:

  1. David Bell, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
  2. Chris West, Richland Center, WI
  3. Jonah Joffe, Wynnewood, PA
  4. Ryan Phillips, Campbell, CA
  5. David Tyrer, Ottawa, On Canada
  6. Dean Nicholson, Cranbrook, B.C.
  7. Rodrigo Gonzales, D.F
  8. Kevin Cassel, Libertyville, Illinois
  9. Pete Fenner, East Peoria, IL
  10. Geoff Parks, Gainesville, FL
  11. Logan Kahle, San Franisco, CA
  12. Steve McNamee, Toledo, OH
  13. Elaine MacPherson, Sierra Madre, CA
  14. Rich Swartzentruber, Salem, Oregon
  15. Jason Pietrzak, Logan, Utah
  16. Wil Domke, Miami, FL
  17. Brian Bielfelt, Greenwich, CT
  18. Thomas Sanders, Charlotte, NC
  19. Mark Rosenstein, Cambridge, MA
  20. Graham Etherington, Norwich, England
  21. Rachel Bryan, Thunder Bay, ON
  22. Marcel Such, Lyons, CO
  23. Joel Such, Lyons, CO
  24. Robin LaFortune, Delano, MN
  25. Michael E. Peterson, Kissimmee, FL
  26. Michael Cannon, Mount Prospect, Illinois
  27. Stephen Joly, Kamloops, BC
  28. Dominic Cormier, Halifax, Nova Scotia
  29. Ed Harper, Carmichael, CA
  30. Justin Jones, Glendale, Arizona
  31. Robert Packard, Riverside, CA
  32. Mike Boyd, Vancouver, BC
  33. Christine Bartlein, Middleton, WI
  34. Daryll Myhr, Kelowna, British Columbia,Ca
  35. Kari Williams, Milwaukee, WI
  36. Eddie Ehrman, Southgate, Ky
  37. Ted Stiritz, Russellville,AR
  38. Felipe Guerrero, Arlington, Virginia
  39. Jacob Drucker, New York, NY
  40. Jen Vieth, Hastings, MN
  41. Joel Mundall, Loma Linda, CA
  42. Jill Buckley, Socorro, NM
  43. George F. Cresswell, Colorado Springs, CO
  44. Xinyu Zhu, Vancouver, BC
  45. Jeff Marks, Portland, OR
  46. Aaron Bilyeu, Placerville, CA
  47. Michael S. Levy, Centereach, N.Y.
  48. Karl Erich Mayer, Saint Clair Shores, Michigan
  49. Terri Everett, Big Rapids, MI
  50. Jessica Bridges, Sanford, NC
  51. Greg Schrott, Sebring, FL
  52. Alan Dupuis, Cambridge, NY
  53. Richard Garrigues, San Antonio de Belen, Heredia, Costa Rica
  54. Lyn Imperial, Middletown, DE
  55. Elaine Long, East Brunswick, NJ
  56. Ardmia Holt, indianapolis,in
  57. Tucker J. Lutter, Bronson, IA
  58. Eric Antonio Martinez, Oaxaca, Mexico
  59. Jim Mountjoy, Galesburg, IL
  60. Philip Kline, Tucson, AZ
  61. Eric Sibbald, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
  62. Claude Auchu, La Pocatière, Québec
  63. Avery Bartels, Nelson, BC, Canada
  64. Nick Lund, Falmouth, Maine
  65. Lauren Bryde, St Petersburg, FL
  66. Adam Betuel, Kissimmee, FL
  67. Julie Desmeules, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
  68. Michael Lester, Haworth, NJ
  69. Steve Arlow, Rochford, Essex, England
  70. Kevin Kerr, Guelph, ON
  71. Thomas Snetsinger, Brownsville, OR
  72. Rachel Cass, Marietta, GA
  73. Joan Lucas, Wilson, WY
  74. Taylor Yeager, North Easton, Massachusetts
  75. Steve Hampton, Davis, CA
  76. Josh Covill, Columbia Falls, MT
  77. Brendan Fogarty, Hempstead, NY
  78. Wes Serafin, orland park il
  79. Claire Miller, Fair Oaks, CA
  80. Dave Worthington, Toronto, Ontario
  81. Eva Pratt, Inman, S.C.
  82. Eric LoPresti, Providence, RI
  83. Karen Rubinstein, New York, NY
  84. Colin Gjervold, Wesley Chapel, FL
  85. Liis Veelma, Winnipeg MB
  86. Phil Vreeman, Grand Rapids, MI
  87. Anton Mach, Yardley, PA
  88. Henry Trombley, Bristol, VT
  89. Linda Swanson, San Francisco, CA
  90. Greg Lawrence, Rochester, NY
  91. Jim Ross, Pleasanton, CA.
  92. Andrew Keaveney, Etobicoke, ON
  93. Shaun Hicks, Morrisville, PA
  94. Zach Smith, Davis, Ca
  95. Ben Griffon, Richmond, VA
  96. Matthew Williams, Midvale, UT
  97. Eddie Mundall, Yreka, CA
  98. Linda Hoffman, Springville, NY
  99. John Brett, Toronto, ON
  100. Sam Burckhardt, Chicago, IL
  101. Thomas Hopkins, St. Petersburg, Florida
  102. Charles Rossa, Manassas, Va
  103. Erik Peñaloza, guadalajara, jalisco mexico
  104. Shirley Crow Stephens, Dexter, Missouri
  105. Andrew Thornton, St. Augustine, FL
  106. Evan Houston, Seattle, WA
  107. Claude Morris, Austin, TX
  108. Cinda Crosley, Pflugerville, TX
  109. John Hammond, Durham, North Carolina
  110. Benjamin Goloff, New York
  111. L. Long, Chandler, AZ
  112. James D Rieman DVM, Houston
  113. Grant Newberry, Oakton, VA
  114. Lisa Moore, Seattle, WA
  115. Ken Young, Filer, Idaho
  116. Eric Pineiro, Titusville, FL
  117. Patty McKelvey, Sheffield Village, Ohio
  118. Alex Lin-Moore, Middlebury, VT
  119. Matthew Rymkiewicz, New York, NY
  120. Richard Jeffers, Santa Clara, CA
  121. Jean Whitlock, Green Bay, WI
  122. Grant McCreary, Cumming, GA
  123. Mark Payne, Northwich, England
  124. Jeremy Medina, Tucson, AZ
  125. Andrew Dettling, Canton, MI
  126. Brooke Miller, Los Altos, CA
  127. Ana Komro, West Bend, WI
  128. Glenn L. Werner, Beaufort, SC
  129. Christopher Mortensen, Langhorne, PA
  130. Laure W. Neish, Penticton, BC Canada
  131. Robert Lockett, Portland, OR
  132. Gerrad Jones, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  133. Marvin Tórrez, Managua, Nicaragua
  134. Marcelo Brongo, Barcelona, Spain
  135. Mike Burrell, Heidelberg, Ontario
  136. Erika Patenaude, Newport, RI
  137. Larry Kline, Fredericksburg, VA
  138. Carlos Ross, Tempe, Arizona
  139. Blake Mathys, Milltown, NJ
  140. Chris Warren, Portland, OR
  141. John Puschock, Seattle, WA
  142. Joyce Fraser, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
  143. tom graham, seabrook nh
  144. Chad Williams, Indianapolis, IN
  145. Lisa Hainey, Arlington, WA
  146. Ian Davies, Medford, MA
  147. John Martin, San Diego, California
  148. Alain Pataud, Paris, France
  149. Tim Hodge, Roseland, VA
  150. Nathan Swick, Chapel Hill, NC
  151. Larisa Gokool, Brockton, MA
  152. Jackie Allison, Nipomo, CA
  153. Karsten E. Hartel, Arlington, Massachusetts
  154. Lila Fried, New York City
  155. Mike Fialkovich, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  156. Robert Mottershead, PA
  157. Jim Fitzpatrick, Hastings, MN
  158. Steve Deitemeyer, Wheat Ridge, CO
  159. Marlene Jay Cashen, Veradale, Washington
  160. John Kuenzli, Columbus, OH
  161. Thomas Hall, Livermore, Colorado
  162. beau schaefer, round lake beach, IL
  163. Chip Clouse, Colorado Springs. CO
  164. Dave Tietjen, Huntsville, AL
  165. L Frost, Friendswood, TX
  166. Ben Coulter, Etna, PA
  167. Ethan Gyllenhaal, Oak Park, Illinois
  168. Diana Doyle, Minneapolis, MN
  169. Angela Bowne, newton, NJ
  170. Celestyn Brozek, Albuquerque, NM
  171. Justyn Stahl, San Clemente Island, CA
  172. Daroczi J. Szilard, Tg.-Mures, Romania
  173. Kirk Huffstater, Castle Rock, CO
  174. Matt Mills, Provo, UT
  175. jonathan frodge, cincinnati, ohio
  176. kathy, Burnaby, BC
  177. Owen McMurtrey, Chicago, IL
  178. Ethan Kistler, Newton Falls, Ohio
  179. Alan Schreck, Arlington, VA
  180. Jeremy Faucher, Enfield CT
  181. Rob Lane, Helena, AL
  182. Matt Pike, Lacey WA
  183. Greg Gillson, Hillsboro, OR
  184. Winnie Poon, Ontario, Canada
  185. Donna Summers, West Simsbury, CT
  186. Lars Skalnes, Eugene, OR
  187. Kristi Cox, Rockyford, Alberta
  188. Robert Maciver, Bowmanville, ON
  189. Olaf Soltau, New Preston, CT
  190. Andy Johnson, Ann Arbor, MI
  191. Chloe, Lagunitas, CA
  192. David Yeany II, Cumberland, MD
  193. Alex Vinokur, Casselberry, FL
  194. Barb Robertson, Ottawa, Ont., Canada
  195. James McKay, Mesa, AZ
  196. Brian E. Small, Los Angeles, CA
  197. Anne-Marie d'Alessandro, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
  198. Dana Bollin, Oak Harbor, OH
  199. Joan Campbell, Marinette, WI 54143
  200. Carolyn Broussard, Carencro, La
  201. James Warren, Schwenksville, PA
  202. shawn layton, princeton, nj
  203. Spencer Hardy, Norwich, VT
  204. Joel Brady-Power, Anacortes, Wa
  205. Kevin Jacobson, Hamilton, Ga
  206. Travis Cooper, San Deigo, CA
  207. Andre Moncrieff, Berrien Springs, MI
  208. Susan Work, Encinitas, CA
  209. Michael Sandy, Rocky River, OH
  210. Bruce Deuel, Red Bluff, CA
  211. Marcel Gauthier, Iberville, QC, Canada
  212. Gary Koehn, Colorado Springs, CO
  213. Paul Glass, South Boston, VA
  214. Stephen Taylor, Pittsford, NY
  215. Stijn Cooleman, Jabbeke, BELGIUM
  216. Jon Atwood, Keene, NH
  217. Tom Collins, Pittsfield, Ma.
  218. Mary Keim, Orlando, FL
  219. David Waltman, Boulder, CO
  220. John Habig, Carlisle, OH
  221. Myles Falconer, Lakefield, ON
  222. Brian Nelson, Pocatello, ID
  223. Sarah Roper, Urbana, IL
  224. Craig Fischer, Phoenix, AZ
  225. Mike Ellis, Omaha, NE
  226. Su Snyder, Wooster, OH
  227. Greg Zupansic, Eugene, Oregon
  228. Michael Schwitters, Choteau MT
  229. Mary Ann Hoeffliger, Shumway, Illinois
  230. John Arnett, El Mirage, AZ
  231. Paul Fusco, Brooklyn Center, MN
  232. Matthew Schneider, Silverton, Oregon
  233. Benoit Dorion, Laval,Quebec, Canada
  234. Pieter van der Luit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  235. Anthony H. Bledsoe, Pittsburgh, PA
  236. Sean Williams, Boston, MA
  237. Rick Poulin, Ottawa, Ontario
  238. Tristan Weinbrenner, McPherson, KS
  239. Sam Koenen, Bozeman, MT

How Did You Compare?

As stated in the quiz rules, answers must consist simply of the Common or English name exactly as it appears in the ABA Checklist.

The following list shows the number of submissions for each species guessed.

Little Blue Heron
239
Cattle Egret
12
Snowy Egret
8
Great Blue Heron
7
Little Egret
4
Reddish Egret
4
Great Egret
3
Bald Eagle
1
Chinese Egret
1

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The photo and answer for this quiz were supplied by Tony Leukering.