Confusing California Bird #2

[Dave]

Here is the confusing bird #2. Are these terns ROYAL TERNS, ELEGANT TERNS, or do I have BOTH represented in the pictures below. All pictures were taken at Tijuana Slough, almost on the Mexico border.













(with confusing #1 in the foreground!)

Thanks for your help - Dave

[Dave]

Here are some pictures of other terns (probably Royal) found with skimmers at Mission Bay in San Diego.

[Gord]

Any luck with these guys yet Dave? I have no exprience with these birds to apply a guess or idea on.

[Dave]

The conclusion here is that all the terns pictured are ROYAL TERNS. Elegant terns look quite different (again thanks for the emails) and are usually not in California this time of year.

Dave