Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), Glendale Recharge Ponds, Maricopa County

This Pomarine Jaeger was found and photographed by Jeff Ritz on 28 November 2019 and photographed by Steve Boyack on the same date.

Pomarine is the rarest jaeger species in Arizona, with only eleven accepted records and another pending, most of which are of juveniles in late fall.

A juvenile jaeger with a heavy, bulky body,  "barrel-chested" appearance, broad-based wings, and a relatively large head. The bill is thick with the dark nail making up much less than half the length. Overall cold coloration. There pronounced pale bases of the underprimary coverts resulting in a small crescent under each wing, creating the "double flash" typical of Pomarine Jaeger. Several white shafts on the upper primaries. The upper and undertail coverts are strongly barred. The blunt central tail feathers barely jut out beyond the others.

28 November 2019, photo by Jeff Ritz

28 November 2019, photo by Steve Boyack

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