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Early fall, hatch-year immature (August), Oregon. Note scaly-looking lesser coverts with dark centers and pale edges.
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Early fall, hatch-year immature (August), Oregon. Note scaly-looking lesser coverts with dark centers and pale edges.
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Winter adult male (December), Washington
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Spring adult male (April), Oregon. Jet black cap and lack of any apparent molt limits in flight feathers indicate that this bird is at least a two-year-old.
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adult male
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Fall, adult black-backed male (September), Texas. This form is found in the southern and eastern parts of this species' range.
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Summer, adult male black-backed form (August), New Mexico. Males in the southern and eastern part of this species' range have uniform black upperparts with the black extending down onto the sides of the face and neck eliminating the capped look.
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Spring male (April), Arizona. The dull cap and inconsistency in the coloration of the wing and covert feathers (molt limits) suggest that this is a first-spring bird.
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First-spring male (April), Arizona. The dull cap, inconsistency in the coloration of the wing and covert feathers (molt limits), plus lack of broad whitish wingbars and edges on the folded flight feathers indicate that this is a first-spring bird.
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Fall adult female (November), Oregon. Note extremely fresh overall plumage, which indicates that it has just gone through its annual prebasic molt.
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Dull spring adult female (May), Oregon. Note the more olive coloration compared to the "Bright" spring female. Adult females are highly variable with some dull and olive-gray like this bird and others nearly as bright yellow as males.
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Dull spring adult female (April), Oregon
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Spring, second-year female (April), Arizona. Note lack of conspicuous wingbars when compared to adult female. This age is also slightly paler and less uniform yellow below.
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Early Spring, pale first-spring female (March), Oregon. Note the lack of conspicuous wingbars and lack of uniformity in the coloration of the upperparts.
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