Sep 19 2013
Monday’s blog about identifying white wading birds got me thinking about snowy egrets’ black legs and fancy yellow feet. Wow!
Are there other birds in North America whose legs and feet are different colors?
The immature blackpoll warbler has them. Adult blackpolls have bright orange-yellow legs and feet but the youngsters have black legs. Their contrasting feet are a good identification tip during fall migration. This one is wearing orange slippers.
Beyond the blackpoll I was stumped. I searched my field guide page by page and discovered that golden-crowned kinglets have dark legs and pale yellow feet. Who knew? I never looked at their feet before.
Do any other North American birds have fancy feet? I don’t think so, but maybe you know of one.
In the meantime I’ll leave you with this thought …