Gulls off Kota Kinabalu, January 2020 (1 Viewer)

Bill Jolly

Bill J

• Jan 30, 2020

• #1

I had views of these gulls offshore at Kota Kinabalu a couple of weeks ago.
Brown-headed?, Slender-billed?, I just don't have the familiarity.

All help appreciated.

 

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Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Jan 31, 2020

• #2

1. photo: I think the larger gull is brown headed. could the other bird be one of the chlidonisas marsh terns?

 

Andy Adcock

Worst person on Birdforum

• Jan 31, 2020

• #3

Smaller bird is most likely Black-naped Tern.

 

sicklebill

well-known Cretaceous relic

• Jan 31, 2020

• #4

Looks like Black-headed Gull to me, and Black-naped Tern

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Jan 31, 2020

• #5

you are right with the gull , wing pattern is blackheaded , hand all wrong for brown-headed with not enough black- didn´t remember that correctly

 

Bill Jolly

Bill J

• Jan 31, 2020

• #6

Many thanks to friends old and new...happy to go with Black-headed Gull and Black-naped Tern.
Regards to all Bill J

 

J

johnallcock

Well-known member

• Jan 31, 2020

• #7

I would say that the tern in #1 is too short- and broad-winged for Black-naped. I agree with Joern that it looks more like a Chlidonias, probably Whiskered with that head pattern.

The gulls in #2 are tricky but I suspect are also Black-headed. The head profile doesn't look right for Slender-billed and they don't seem full-chested like Brown-headed. The terns in this photo are Greater Crested.

 

Larry Sweetland

Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'

• Jan 31, 2020

• #8

Tern in first pic looks like Whiskered to me too.

 

A

andyb39

Well-known member

• Jan 31, 2020

• #9

Larry Sweetland said:

Tern in first pic looks like Whiskered to me too.

Click to expand...

Me too - look at the size of it for a start, not to mention the wing length and tail shape.

Re the gulls, according to my copy of Phillipps, only Black-headed Gull has been observed in Borneo. This may of course be out of date.

 

Nutcracker

Stop Brexit!

• Jan 31, 2020

• #10

Ditto to Black-headed Gull and Whiskered Tern.


From Olsen & Larsson's Gulls, Brown-headed doesn't get that far southeast, only gets to Vietnam / Cambodia, not to Indonesia; Black-headed does get there though.