Weird Gull in tropical Pacific (1 Viewer)

Hi All,

Okay, everyone likes a gull mystery right? This one came across ID-frontiers yesterday. Here are some photos taken in the Pacific here. More brief details of the sighting are here:

Links to the images are here:
http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ano/images/PO134.JPG
http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ano/images/PO133.JPG
http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ano/images/PO135.JPG
http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ano/images/PO132.JPG

It is hard to make anything fit. Black-tailed Gull and Grey-hooded Gull have been suggested, but there are things wrong with both of those suggestions. If I imagine bleaching out in some areas, there are aspects that are very much like Laughing Gull and Franklin's Gull, but still, not all of the details fit. Any suggestions?

Chris

Hey Chris

I can tell you it definitely isn't a Black-tailed Gull. It is clearly too large for Franklin's Gull as well.

I am not familiar with Grey Gull, but again from photos I have seen it really doesn't fit either.

If I had to go for something I'd go for1st winter Laughing Gull. but a rather washed out bird.

Sean

Hiroshima

Hi All,

Thanks Sean,

in digging around with google image search, that is the conclusion I came up with too. Here are some images that I think may support that notion. Certainly the wing structure and pattern fit, and I see a muted version of the face pattern too. Here are the links:

http://www.scholtz.org/bill/nature/Gulls/00118s33LaughingGull.jpg
http://www.wiltshirebirds.co.uk/images/Laughing Gull 2.jpg
http://www.burnhambirds.co.uk/LaughingGull0025.jpg
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Conservat...yBirds/Featured_photo/Images/Bigpic/lagu8.jpg
http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/marine_wildlife/coastal_images/2005_pics/Laughing_Gull.jpg
http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/MM/MX5/5BD061a_Laru-atri_AK_GM_MXa.jpg
This last one shows that somewhat odd bill color:
http://www.angra.uac.pt/GEVA/WEBGEVA/AVES/Larus_atricilla2.jpg

The mystery bird has:
- black legs
- Long, pointed wing shape similar to Laughing gull
- black outer primaries, inner primaries grayer with dark subterminal spot and tipped white (a pattern matched in some of the Laughing Gulls links).
- darker secondary bar
- diffuse dark centers to tertials (suggesting first cycle bird).
- tail mostly black, but with outer vane of outermost rectrix white (perhaps an early replaced second cycle feather).
- Thin smudge mark around eye similar to that of first cycle Laughing.
- Darkish bill with paler base (see last link)
- Also, a hint of grayer chest, white belly contrast in the head on shots, a pattern shown by first cycle Laughing.

Chris

Hi Chris.

I´ve had my eyes on this gull to. The Black-tailed & Grey-headed Gull theory is quite understandible but looking at, not the best of images, it doesn´t hold up.
The gull is clearly a first/second cycle with a long primary projection and if the primaries - which seems to have all dark outers - in this image:

http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ano/images/PO134.JPG

where as pale in real life Grey-headed is out - since the dark tailband is to broad on the subject gull, broader than on Grey-headed, Brown-hooded and Black-headed Gull. They all have broader dark tips to inner primaries. Brown-hooded have white mirrors on the outer primaries. Black-tailed in this age class is a much darker bird with a larger bill.
The underwing pattern is Laughing gull like.
I really don´t have a realistic kind of clue at the moment!

JanJ

I subscribed to this page with a a view to coming back and having a good look if it wasn't cracked. My starting position was weird looking Laugher.

Laughing Gull might be a good suggestion - in fact the better one of the ones suggested.

JanJ