Italy, probable Heuglin's Gull 2ndS (1 Viewer)

foxsparrow

Italian Birder

• Feb 19, 2010

• #1

Four photos of the same bird taken by Marco Basso in Chioggia, NE Italy, on 4th to 25th April 2005

 

Attachments

• 
  chioggialarus2005.jpg

  80.2 KB · Views: 87
• 
  chioggialarus2005a.jpg

  58.3 KB · Views: 54
• 
  chioggialarus2005b.jpg

  63.8 KB · Views: 116
• 
  chioggialarus2005c.jpg

  60.7 KB · Views: 72

T

tittletattler

Well-known member

• Feb 19, 2010

• #2

foxsparrow said:

Four photos of the same bird taken by Marco Basso in Chioggia, NE Italy, on 4th to 25th April 2005

Click to expand...

One for the experts (assuming anyone actually can ID Heuglin's?).

From images that I've seen on the internet purporting to be of Heuglin's, in my view this bird is too dark for a 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull and not dark enough for a Graellsii Lesser Black Backed. So it is a Heuglin's....

Moult might be the key to identifying this bird?

Cheers,

Andy.

 

Cristian Mihai

Cristian Mihai

• Feb 19, 2010

• #3

Agreed with the idea that the bird is to dark for a (3cy) Yellow-legged Gull. To rule out a graellsii is obviously too much for my limited knowledges...

 

foxsparrow

Italian Birder

• Feb 19, 2010

• #4

To compare with this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_li/4213469686/

 

foxsparrow

Italian Birder

• Feb 19, 2010

• #5

One more similar bird:
http://www.digiscoping.pl/archives/56

 

Y

yoavpe

Member

• Feb 20, 2010

• #6

If I saw this bird in Israel I would certainly ID it as a Heuglin's. The long neck, big head, massive bill and heavy chest are all structurally correct. Also the moult seems OK for this time of the year, though we don't get them in Israel that late.

 

lou salomon

the birdonist

• Feb 20, 2010

• #7

i was a bit worried about moult stage as i thought a typical spring 3cy heuglini would be more advanced, showing less immature coverts, surely there is variation in this respect. but that largish p10 mirror seems to be a good heuglini feature (if present like here).