DarkFireFalcon
Well-known member
I'd like to solicit some advice on ID'ing this large dark mantled gull from the north end of the Salton Sea in California, USA. Yellow-footed is probably the most likely large dark mantled gull, but Western (and even Lesser and Great Black-backed) have been recorded as well.
Here's my description:
In comparison to the nearby California Gulls it was large and chunky, with a hefty looking bill. The mantle color in the later afternoon light (about an hour and a half from sunset) looked darker than the nearby California Gulls. The eyering was clearly yellow through my scope, and the gape was a fleshy pinkish. The legs were... confusing. The pinkish-yellowish color depicted by the photos is pretty much what I could discern in the field. In flight, the tail was solid black and the upper-tail coverts appeared completely unmarked. The photographer mentioned that the camera was making the mantle appear slightly darker than it looked in the field. I think these shots were adjusted somewhat, to try to show the mantle as accurately as possible. At all angles it was darker than nearby California, but not shockingly so. The photos do show noticeable contrast between the mantle and primary tips.
When I posted it to the Facebook Gull group, the first response was that it looked like a Kelp Gull.. I've no experience with this species (but to me, it seems too pale mantled). My tentative ID was Yellow-footed Gull, but I've limited experience with that species, and the dark eye bothers me. I'm curious to hear what others think.
Here's my description:
In comparison to the nearby California Gulls it was large and chunky, with a hefty looking bill. The mantle color in the later afternoon light (about an hour and a half from sunset) looked darker than the nearby California Gulls. The eyering was clearly yellow through my scope, and the gape was a fleshy pinkish. The legs were... confusing. The pinkish-yellowish color depicted by the photos is pretty much what I could discern in the field. In flight, the tail was solid black and the upper-tail coverts appeared completely unmarked. The photographer mentioned that the camera was making the mantle appear slightly darker than it looked in the field. I think these shots were adjusted somewhat, to try to show the mantle as accurately as possible. At all angles it was darker than nearby California, but not shockingly so. The photos do show noticeable contrast between the mantle and primary tips.
When I posted it to the Facebook Gull group, the first response was that it looked like a Kelp Gull.. I've no experience with this species (but to me, it seems too pale mantled). My tentative ID was Yellow-footed Gull, but I've limited experience with that species, and the dark eye bothers me. I'm curious to hear what others think.