Re: Strange gull at Avon, NC

[Michal Skakuj <mskakuj@nc.rr.com>]

Hi,

It is hard to ID immature gulls with no proportions in description (was
it long-winged, short-legged or rather long-legged with short primary
projection). However what we have here looks mostly like 3rd winter
plumage (light eye but head and neck very dirty, mostly gray mantle with
brownish splotches, no white on blackish wing tips). In the other hand
dark tail with white outer edge suggest rather second winter plumage, as
well as dark bill.  The color features fit (for me) to California,
Lesser Black-becked (graellsii) or small female of American Herring.
Slaty-backed, Western and Yellow-footed are rather too dark and big
gulls with massive bills, Black-tailed is very slender, long-billed gull
with rather uniformly brownish neck and head in immature plumage.
Nevertheless for that combination od features the most likely for me is
Lesser Black-backed (mottled all head, neck and breast) which
occasionally  may look not so dark gray. However these are only
speculations and guessing.

Mike

jeff lewis wrote:

> Last Satyrday I observed a gull on the beach beside
> the Avon pier which I could not I.D. Maybe it was a
> hybrid, who knows. Description as follows:
> Slightly larger than a Ring-billed Gull, which was the
> only other species present. Considerably darker mantle
> than a Ring-billed, but not quite as dark as a Lesser
> Black-backed. The mantle also was mottled with some
> brown splotches, indicating the gull was not quite an
> adult? The wing tips were solid black, no white. The
> wings tips were darker than the mantle. The tail
> appeared to be black with a white outer edge. The head
> of the gull was fairly dirty, especially behind the
> eye. The neck was also streaked. The breast was also
> dirty. The eye color (iris) was very light (creamy).
> The bill was black or nearly so and was fairly short
> and stubby. The legs were a fairly neutral gray or
> flesh color. I never saw the gull fly, it left when I
> went back to the car for a field guide.
> I give up - what was it!??
> Jeff Lewis
> Manteo, NC
>
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Michal Skakuj  Ph.D.
4600 University Drive apt. 1312
Durham, NC 27707
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