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Ituri

Mixed Gulls

I think I've got herring gulls front right, ring billed gull front left and California gulls center rear. Does that look right? February 2012

Mixed Gulls
Ituri, 7 Feb 2012
    • Ituri
      I think I\'ve got herring gulls front right, ring billed gull front left and California gulls center rear. Does that look right?
      February 2012
    • Chlidonias
      we're lucky in NZ -- we've just got red-billed gull, black-billed gull and black-backed gull. All very easy. I don't know how you Northern Hemisphereans cope! They're worse than waders!
    • Ituri
      So that would be an "I don't know" then right? ;)
    • Chlidonias
      absolutely!
    • Ituri
      Oh come on, Chlidonias! I thought you were the world-birder supreme? :D
    • Chlidonias
      not with gulls! If I ever end up in America I'm going to just pretend the gulls aren't even there :D

      However, looking at the photo [and bearing in mind I've never had to identify American gulls before!!], I'd say California gull is the one in the middle closest to the foreground (note the two-coloured bill spot), a ring-billed gull to its immediate left, a herring gull up the back (looking at the camera)...and two others (younger ones, I wouldn't know). But don't take any of that as definite!
    • American_birds
      Front center and the one behind that are both adult ring-billed gulls. Back center is also California as you suggest. However, yellow legs on front right individual point away from herring. The tail pattern makes me think it is California as well. Not sure about the one behind that though.
    • Ituri
      Thank you. The gull in front right looked to me like it had pink legs, but I guess they could be a dull yellow-green.
    • Chlidonias
      so if the front-most one is a ring-billed gull why does it have a two-coloured spot on the bill? (I'm not disputing its not a ring-billed, because as I said I have zero experience with American gulls, but shouldn't the bill spot make it a Californian? Or is that a variable or non-definite characteristic?)
    • American_birds
      The bill marking does somewhat resemble a California, but I've seen bill marking variation (though rare). California have a much darker gray than what is seen here, and fits in better with ring-billed or Herring. However, as Mr. Ituri points out, the legs may be pink, the more I look at them. This could make it Herring, if the iris and orbital ring did not look so dark, thus bringing me back to your original conclusion of it being a California gull.

      I hate gull ID
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  • Category:
    United States - Wildlife
    Uploaded By:
    Ituri
    Date:
    7 Feb 2012
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    Comment Count:
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