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This is a place holder and invitation for anyone with an unknown bird they want identified

I call on all members to help

This one would seem to be a Greater or Lesser Scaup or a Ringed Neck Duck. Or perhaps a hybrid? I couldn't pin it down. Shot a few months ago in a saltwater inlet on the Central California Coast.

Based on Sibley, I would say it is one of the Scaups (Ring-necked would have an eye ring and spur). Again, by Sibley, Greater and Lesser are nearly identical, shape of head and bill being the main distinguishing characteristics, and I wouldn't even venture to guess here. The Greater is more common on salt water.

i think you are right..lesser female

Scaup Duck - Bing Images

I'll say greater Scaup based upon larger white area on the face, and longer white stripe on trailing edge of the wing, but to counter this, if you are away from the coast the greater is a rare sighting.

It's right on the coast, in saltwater.
According to USGS the white ring at the base of the bill is indicative of a female Greater Scaup. That was the feature which threw me on this bird. So, it sounds like that's the right ID. Thanks everyone.

Just after I shot this bird, I posted it in PYP and no one could agree to which hawk it was, debate was either Sharp-Shinned or Cooper's. I checked Sibley's but can't come to a conclusion either. Sorry for the blown out sky, this was before I learned how to fix that.

I might say sharp shinned because the description for the coopers is the most slender and longest tailed but really hard to distinguish in immature birds

In my reading I have to agree that it is an immature bird because of the color.

Don't sharp shinned have bars on the tail?

They both do, other possible identifier is sharp shinned have a squareish tail, coopers is rounded but this is somewhat subjective

When I first shot this hawk I thought it was a Coopers hawk then I started second guessing myself , now I'm not sure what it is . Is it the same hawk ?

I post in my album or the photo gallery first, then copy the image link to the thread

It might be a merlin

Where did you see it and what is the approximate size?