In an interesting 4 September comment under the Sandwich Tern bill color discussion, Joseph Kennedy presents a photo of a juvenile Royal Tern with partly yellow-orange legs. Compared to one of his photos of juvenile Sandwich with yellow legs, the Royal appears to have brighter leg color. Presumably that is variable, but it would be interesting to compare a larger sample. I remember seeing a small but significant percentage of Royal Terns in fall at Cape May, NJ with partly to mostly yellow-orange legs. And non-black legs might be even more common, and more persistent, on Elegant Terns.
Related posts and pages:
- Black Tern and White-winged Tern – leg color Another note from the comments under Sandwich Tern by Joseph Kennedy on 4 September, this...
- Sandwich Tern – bill color of juveniles – updated Sep 27, 2008 This photo by Greg Lavaty of Texas, generated a lot...
- Sandwich Tern Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis Sandwich Tern – bill color of juveniles Sandwich Tern – leg...
- White-winged Tern White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucoptera Black Tern and White-winged Tern – leg color ...
