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seagull gulls id (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter airs91
- Start date
Ighalo is amazing
Well-known member
Wild guess from across the globe... American herring gull
lou salomon
the birdonist
1st winter western gulls.
Ighalo is amazing
Well-known member
Sorry about that...
GreatBlueHeron15
Member
Too dark to be a Western gull. It's a first winter Herring Gull.
MTem
Well-known member
Well you're going to have to help me with this one.
Separating first winter Western (occidentalis) and American Herring gulls (smithsonianus) for me is tricky with good side and wing photos. I did think when I first looked at this photo the bird in the background does look to have light grey second gen mantle feathers, for me suggesting smithsonianus but I can't see any second gen mantle or back feathers clearly on the other two.
To say they're smithsonianus because they're too dark for Western does seem incongruous however as all the first winter Western I've seen (not a huge number I concede) were at least as dark as the same age smithsonianus.
So could you help me at least by giving a little more insight into your ID please? (and Lou as well?)
GreatBlueHeron15
Member
Okay, sorry for not specifying. So the first cycle Western gull does have very dark plumage compared to the first cycle American Herring gull. American Herring gulls also have an extreme plumage variation whereas the Western tends to have plumage colors that blend together more and a very dark colored back unlike the Herring. The bills on the Western are also very large, black and heavy tipped compared to the Herrings slimmer and lighter colored bill. I'm sorry but color is one of the easiest ways to identify the difference between the two. I would try to solidify my argument by location but both types live in that area. There are millions of American Herring Gulls where I live (on Lake Erie) so I have been around them for my whole life, I'm definitely not saying I'm an expert though! I hoped this helped more.
GreatBlueHeron15
Member
And I meant it was too light to be a Western Gull. Sorry!
I will not claim to be a gull expert, but I think the best feature visible in these photos supporting Herring over other possibilities are the pale heads compared to the backs and underparts. Western, Glaucous-winged, and Western x Glaucous-winged hybrids (all of which are more abundant than Herring at many sites in northern California; don't know about Colma) all usually have heads closer in color to the rest of the body.
TLeukering
Well-known member
The two closest to the camera are first-cycle Western Gulls. Any first-cycle Smithsonian Gull with a head that pale will have extensive pale coloration on the bill, unlike the two subject birds. Additionally, Western Gull (like Glaucous-winged Gull) has a minimal supraorbital ridge, giving it a fairly bland face, whereas the strong ridge on Smithsonian Gull gives it a fierce expression. Again, the DATE of photo should ALWAYS be provided. However, I'd guess that the pic was taken in late winter or spring, due to the whiteness of the heads.
