JUVENILE SHORT-BILLED DOWTCHER, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON

   We can ID this dowitcher as a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher rather than a Long-billed Dowitcher as follows:

• Slightly decurved bill.  The Long-billed has a relatively straight bill.
• V-shaped white feather tips of the covert feathers.  The Long-billed has squared-off feather tips.
• "Tiger-striped" tertials, but with wiggly lines and partial bars.  This indicates the Short-billed Dowitcher is a juvenile.  The juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher has no tertial bars or stripes, while the adults of both species usually have tertial bars in a regular pattern.