What is the characteristic color of the stout, straight bill of the adult Whooping Crane outside of the breeding season?

Answer

Dark olive-gray

The bill of the adult Whooping Crane is generally described as stout and straight, perfectly suited for probing the mud during foraging. The standard coloration outside of the breeding season is dark olive-gray. However, the text notes a subtle seasonal variation: during the breeding season, the bill transitions to a lighter olive-gray hue. Furthermore, an additional characteristic detail is often visible at the base of the bill, which frequently displays a touch of pink or rosaceous coloration. This combination of a dark, straight bill with seasonal tonal shifts and a subtle pink base helps observers distinguish the bill from that of other large wading birds, although size and overall structure remain more definitive identification factors.

What is the characteristic color of the stout, straight bill of the adult Whooping Crane outside of the breeding season?

Related Questions

What undisputed vertical title does the Whooping Crane hold among North American birds?What specific feathers on the adult Whooping Crane are typically black, contrasting with its snowy white plumage?What is the most striking feature identified by the vivid crimson color on an adult Whooping Crane's head?What is the average weight, in pounds, of an adult Whooping Crane, balancing its imposing five-foot height?What is the initial, predominant plumage coloration observed on a newly hatched Whooping Crane chick?During flight, how is the long neck of the Whooping Crane characteristically held relative to its body?What are the primary components of the Whooping Crane's diet while wintering in Central Texas?What is the characteristic color of the stout, straight bill of the adult Whooping Crane outside of the breeding season?What unique anatomical feature, approximately five feet in length, coils into the sternum to enable the crane's loud, bugling call?By what developmental stage does the Whooping Crane's iris color settle into the permanent adult shade of yellow?
birdanatomycharacteristicPlumagewhooping crane