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Other
Anatomy
Nichols (1923) described several skeletal differences between Lesser and Greater yellowlegs. Compared to Lessers, Greaters have longer, shallower keel; relatively smaller skull, but longer bill; relatively shorter legs; and various differences in palate, ribs, and pelvis. Detailed description of structure given by Cramp and Simmons (1983).
In addition to plumage differences, first-year birds can be distinguished by presence of bursa of Fabricius, which is eliminated by first spring. No consistent age-related patterns of cranial pneumatization found for this species (McNeil and Burton 1972).
Elphick, Chris S. and T. Lee Tibbitts. 1998. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/355
