[Birdtalk] Aging of Green Herons

[Kristin Purdy]

I'm Tuesday morning quarterbacking the age of the Green Heron that a 
festival group saw on a trip to The North Arm Natural Area of Pineview 
Reservoir in Weber County yesterday. I believe the bird was in first summer 
plumage, meaning it hatched last year, as opposed to adult plumage as I 
first reported.

The bird was relatively dark, but a striking feature we all noticed was the 
contrast between the pale and dark streaking on the neck. Given the distance 
(100+ yards) and the lighting conditions (backlit), I don't think the small 
amount of neck streaking on an adult would have stood out so prominently.

Kris