[Binocularface]

Hi,

The gull in the attached images was found by Craig and myself at Newbiggin in Northumberland today.
The bird does not seem to fit any species in particular. Structurally it was more like a Black-headed Gull (same size also), though it had particularly long legs. Plumage features such as hood and upper wing pattern seem to fit a 1st summer Med Gull. The bill structure appears to be somwhere in between!
Our conclusion was that it is a 1st summer Black-headed Gull x Med Gull hybrid.
Any thoughts on this from other members welcomed!

I am sure Craig will post some sharper images later!

Regards
Tristan

[eagle33]

Heres the best i could do.

Craig

[Storm-Petrel]

To meit looks just like a first winter Mediterranean Gull that is molting into its summer plumage

[Binocularface]

Originally Posted by Storm-Petrel

To meit looks just like a first winter Mediterranean Gull that is molting into its summer plumage

Interesting. We did consider this at the time, however we felt that the small size (structure and size more similar to Black-headed Gull) and slight bill structure either made this a hybrid or an abberant individual.

[Jane Turner]

I've seen very small adult Med Gulls with weedy bills. What were its open wings like?

[Binocularface]

Originally Posted by Jane Turner

I've seen very small adult Med Gulls with weedy bills. What were its open wings like?

The upper wing pattern was pretty good for a Med Gull. Had it not been for the size and structure we would have called it as one. However structurally this bird was all wrong for Med Gull.

[Jane Turner]

I'd call it a runty Med Gull then! Was the wing shape in flight BHG or Med?

[Binocularface]

Originally Posted by Jane Turner

I'd call it a runty Med Gull then! Was the wing shape in flight BHG or Med?

I felt the wing-shape was more BHG than Med. Nothing structuraly (apart from leg length) resembled Med Gull with this bird.

[eagle33]

i must say structually it was like a black-headed gull.

Craig

[JANJ]

Hi all.

As Jane points out there are dainty Med. gulls with rather small bills:

http://www.gull-research.org/melanos...raneans03f.htm

Even as I feel from the images that it has Med.struckture over Black-headed it doe´s have a rather small bill. On the closed wing I see no difference worth mentioning according to primary pattern but blackish hood (resembling Med.) advanced compared to first summer Black-headed - also fewer first summer Med. attains hood compared to Black-headed. Leg lenght variable and in some pic. white eye-lids stands out as more prominent than Black.headed.
Difficult to be sure of hybrid theory but as mentioned by the observers upperwing looked okey for Med. but there where oddities as to struckture and size.
Pitty we cant get to see more angles and wing views of it!

JanJ

[lostinjapan]

Looks like a normal, but small 1st year Med gull to me.

I did actually see what I though was a Black-headed x Med Gull htis last winter in Derbyshire at Matlock bath, hanging out with Black-headeds on the roof of the mining museum.

Unfortunately didn't take any pics as didn't have my scope with me.

Seemed to be a little larger than Black-headeds with the Med wing pattern, but a Black-headed face and mantle.

Sean
Hiroshima

check out my blog: http://www.hirobirder.blogspot.com

[Binocularface]

Thanks for the comments on this bird. I think the only conclusion is that the bird is a very diminutive Med Gull - though not too much normal about it!
I am amazed how small this bird was and amazed how slight the bill was. I have seen hundreds of Med Gulls in the UK over the years, but never one is minute as this one!

[MKinHK]

Looking closely the bill looks too heavy for BHG and the legs too chunky. I haven't sen Med for a long time (extremely unlikely in Hong Kong!), but I wondered why no-one has mentioned these features. Are BHGs more variable than I thought?

[Binocularface]

Originally Posted by MKinHK

Looking closely the bill looks too heavy for BHG and the legs too chunky. I haven't sen Med for a long time (extremely unlikely in Hong Kong!), but I wondered why no-one has mentioned these features. Are BHGs more variable than I thought?

I mentioned the bill structure in my original post. The bill is quite thick for a Black-headed Gull and very slight for a Med Gull, hence it appeared somewhere between the two species structurally. I also mentioed in my original post that the legs were a closer fit to Med Gull!

As stated in my last post; the only conclusion that can be drawn from this bird is that it is a very dimunitive Med Gull. It is certainly not a typical individual, otherwise we would have not questioned it in the first place!!

[eagle33]

Thanks everyone

Craig

[Woodchatshrike]

I've seen runty firrst year meds. They can also look quite dark. Upperwing pattern is a good feature. I don't think I have ever seen one with such a complete hood. I might be able to dig out some shots of 7 first summers I saw together at Slimbridge last May. (generally the most quiet month for meds in Glos)

[Xenospiza]

For comparison, an apparent (adult) hybrid: http://galerij.avifaunagroningen.nl/...lbum=321&pos=1
http://galerij.avifaunagroningen.nl/...lbum=321&pos=3
Check that wing!

[DEREK CHARLES]

hello Tristan/Craig,
i was caught out earlier this winter by a bird i thought might have been a hybrid Med x Black Headed. I thought smallish size and small weak bill pointed towards hybrid but it seems small meds aren't that uncommon.
Also a presumed adult Med x Black Head from Whithead Co Antrim a couple of weeks ago, whatever it is its a cracker!

Regards

Derek

[LMN]

Hi. Hhave a look at the bird in the top left corner on the bird in the attacthed photo.
The bird is belived to be a hybrid Med x BH from Fiskeholm in Denmark. The bird is breeding in a colony of mostly Bh gulls but some pairs of Med gulls also breed in the coloy, 13 Med was seen at the same times as this bird was photographed, a very high number in Denmark.
The hybrid gull shows a relativly weak bill, the hood dont reach very far down on the neck. It showed a underwing quite similar to that of Bonaparte's gull. The back is also a little darker than that of Med gull and there is quite much black in the hand.

regards
Lars Michael