Photographed yesterday in West France.
From reading Forsman, I would say it's a 2 CY female individual
not juvenile because I can see moulting secondaries
not adult because the tail is dark brown, iris is dark
female because plumage is female/juv type, and silhouette is rather massive instead of slim and elongated
BUT:
i can see (pic 421) pale markings at the end of the upperwing greater coverts... indicating rather juvenile?
some pictures (403) show a grey (because of lighting?) tail, which would favor an adult?
Forsman writes that amount of pale underwing markings is very variable, even in juvenile
From reading Forsman, I would say it's a 2 CY female individual
not juvenile because I can see moulting secondaries
not adult because the tail is dark brown, iris is dark
female because plumage is female/juv type, and silhouette is rather massive instead of slim and elongated
BUT:
i can see (pic 421) pale markings at the end of the upperwing greater coverts... indicating rather juvenile?
some pictures (403) show a grey (because of lighting?) tail, which would favor an adult?
Forsman writes that amount of pale underwing markings is very variable, even in juvenile