PHOTO QUIZ : Shadow

Congratulations to all those that said Barn Swallow.

I must admit that when I first glanced at the photo, the shadow gave me an impression or the giss / jizz, of a falcon. But how many have long pointed tails?

Dave was first to get the finer points, “tapered tail, pointy/swept back wings, round head with small beak“,  and many of you pointed to the subtle bill.   As Liz pointed out, it is indeed flying low over the water. Steve, thank you for pointing out the reflection color – “The shadow looks blue because all shadows in natural light are blue due to scattered light from the sky getting to the surface on which the shadow is projected while all other light is blocked.” Coincidently, this just happens to be the color of the Barn Swallow’s back.

Souzel mentioned Palm Swift, which would have been a  tougher ID given all the swifts and swallows that have this similar shape in Europe, Africa and Asia. I am unaware of a record of this species in North America, and did give a rough geographical area as to where I took the photo. Though they are found throughout the U.S. it was taken in Philadelphia.

Thank you to everyone that commented on the various media outlets. I hope you enjoyed the challenge.