Large dead bird ☹️ (1 Viewer)

[Daisyduck]

Hi

I am new here but I have had this photo since autumn!

Sadly I found this bird at the side of a field, next to a telegraph pole in South East London/Kent UK.

I have been trying for months to identify it with no luck. It was very large maybe the size of a heron. The red circle is the head.

Thank you so much

Daisy

 

[delia todd]

Hi Daisyduck and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators. Sorry, can't work out what that is, but no doubt someone will soon be along with some ideas for uyou.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.

 

[Butty]

It looks like a juvenile of a species of large gull - herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, that sort of thing.

 

[KC Foggin]

Being from the other side of the pond, I have no idea but we're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

 

[Daisyduck]

Hi Daisyduck and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators. Sorry, can't work out what that is, but no doubt someone will soon be along with some ideas for uyou.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.

Thank you so much 😊

 

[Daisyduck]

Being from the other side of the pond, I have no idea but we're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

Thank you 😊

 

[Daisyduck]

It looks like a juvenile of a species of large gull - herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, that sort of thing.

Thank you! I thought the same originally but the feet and beak were slightly different. 😊

 

[Fritz73]

Hola! Welcome to Birdforum

 

[stevethehydra]

The comparison to heron may have "primed" me for this, but I'm half-seriously wondering if this could have been a Bittern?? Legs/feet seem a bit small for that though maybe (and I can't really make out much of the head...)

 

[Daisyduck]

The comparison to heron may have "primed" me for this, but I'm half-seriously wondering if this could have been a Bittern?? Legs/feet seem a bit small for that though maybe (and I can't really make out much of the head...)

Hi Steve

Thank you, I think you are right. The body shape definitely matched with a Bittern and it was what I initially thought. Do you know if they can be found in Kent?

The beak was very straight and black. I didn’t get a good picture of it sorry😊

 

[paddyluke]

maybe hen pheasant,i can't see the head

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Pattern and direction of wing coverts are wrong for Common Pheasant, but these markings also do not seem to fit to a juvenile larger gull in my opinion?
Black bill would be wrong at least for a living great bittern ...
any more photos even if they do not look very different?

 

[Daisyduck]

Pattern and direction of wing coverts are wrong for Common Pheasant, but these markings also do not seem to fit to a juvenile larger gull in my opinion?
Black bill would be wrong at least for a living great bittern ...
any more photos even if they do not look very different?

Hi Joern

Unfortunately not! I didn’t notice the head until I looked back at the picture. I went back to take another photo the next day and it was destroyed. ☹️

 

[jurek]

Hello, most likely is a juvenile large gull (Herring/Lesser Black-backed). Undertail coverts look right for a gull, but very wrong for a Curlew or a Bittern (two species I also contemplated). Female Pheasant has different feather pattern. Short legs are also good for a gull.

 

[paddyluke]

did it have webbed feet??

 

[Daisyduck]

did it have webbed feet??

Hi, I am no expert but I am sure it did not have webbed feet

 

[Daisyduck]

Hello, most likely is a juvenile large gull (Herring/Lesser Black-backed). Undertail coverts look right for a gull, but very wrong for a Curlew or a Bittern (two species I also contemplated). Female Pheasant has different feather pattern. Short legs are also good for a gull.

Hello! Thank you 😊 it seems to be a probable match. I am having trouble with the markings, is this common with a juvenile gull? They were almost like leopard spots.

I am new to birding but have always had an interest in nature, I would say it was so large, much bigger than any gull I have ever seen and the beak was a point at the end that’s why I initially doubted it.

 

[jurek]

Hi, this is typical pattern of young gulls, very different from sleek adults of the same species.
On your photo, it looks like the legs dried with toes together, and look right for short, broad webbed toes found in a gull.
To help you in ID, you can look at the useful site Featherbase:

Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) - Feathers on featherbase.info

Vogelfedern einheimischer und exotischer Arten sicher bestimmen. Erfahren Sie Wissenswertes über die Vogelwelt und ihre Federn.

www.featherbase.info

and even more useful is the plenty of photos on Ebird:

Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus - Media Search - Macaulay Library and eBird

Explore millions of photos, audio recordings, and videos of birds and other animals; powered by Macaulay Library and eBird. The Macaulay Library collects, archives, and distributes wildlife media for research, education, and conservation.

media.ebird.org

But I am sure there are people much better in feather ID than me on this site.

 

[Daisyduck]

Hi, this is typical pattern of young gulls, very different from sleek adults of the same species.
On your photo, it looks like the legs dried with toes together, and look right for short, broad webbed toes found in a gull.
To help you in ID, you can look at the useful site Featherbase:

Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) - Feathers on featherbase.info

Vogelfedern einheimischer und exotischer Arten sicher bestimmen. Erfahren Sie Wissenswertes über die Vogelwelt und ihre Federn.

www.featherbase.info

and even more useful is the plenty of photos on Ebird:

Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus - Media Search - Macaulay Library and eBird

Explore millions of photos, audio recordings, and videos of birds and other animals; powered by Macaulay Library and eBird. The Macaulay Library collects, archives, and distributes wildlife media for research, education, and conservation.

media.ebird.org

But I am sure there are people much better in feather ID than me on this site.

Amazing thank you so much!!!