![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/long-billed-curlew-2411-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"long-billed-curlew-2411-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nMale and female Long-billed Curlews have identical plumage throughout the year so how do we tell them apart? This is the best single photo I’ve seen to show how.<\/p>\n
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1\/1250, f\/14, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,\u00a0Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I took this photo yesterday morning on Antelope Island. The Long-billed Curlews were obviously a mated pair because it’s breeding season, they’re both adults and they stayed very close to each other for the entire time I was with them. Normally a shot like this would be demoted to my delete bin in a heartbeat because of the incredibly busy and unattractive background so close to the birds. That background was made even more distracting because in an effort to get both birds sharp I was shooting at f\/14 which pulled all that brush into even sharper focus than it would otherwise be.<\/p>\n But despite its major flaws this is the best photo I’ve seen to illustrate the field marks that distinguish male curlews from females.<\/p>\n Most folks have a very difficult time telling males from females in the field because they have identical plumage throughout the year. But there are several distinguishing characteristics that can be used, especially when birds are very close together to make the differences more easily seen. It’s difficult to get two curlews in the frame in a photo where both birds are sharp and their poses illustrate the differences well but I think this shot does exactly that.<\/p>\n Here’s the differences:<\/p>\n So in this photo and based on those differences the female is the larger curlew behind the male in front of her. In my opinion, having both curlews sharp and right next to each other in very similar poses makes this an excellent photo for distinguishing males from females.<\/p>\n But you have to try to ignore that ugly background.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Male and female Long-billed Curlews have identical plumage throughout the year so how do we tell them apart? This is the best single photo I’ve seen to show how.<\/p>\n\n