Larus - Lake Kerkini, Greece Feb 2024 (1 Viewer)

[dwatsonbirder]

Apologies for a mixture of proper photos and BOC images - we've been debating this gull for a couple of days.

We've hesitantly come to the conclusion this bird is an Armenian gull, but given the rarity and our lack of any field experience, I'd be grateful for confirmation from more learned folk here.

• "four coloured" bill with black band extending onto upper mandible and horn coloured tip
• yellow legs
• dark eye
• white mirror on P10, with tiny white mirror on P9
• black tips to 7 primaries
• broad white trailing edge on secondaries, narrower onto the primaries

 

[Harrybongo]

Hi. I'm no gull expert, but by the pics and your description, I can't think of what else it can be - darker eyes than Yellow leg, dark band/bar on the bill, white tips to the primaries look OK..... Maybe there has been strong Easterly winds in the location recently?

 

[kuzeycem]

Looks perfect to me.

 

[Scridifer]

Adult Armenian Gull photographed at Kerkini 04/02/24 by Christos Kotselis

Chris

 

[Andy Adcock]

Not an Armenian for me, bill pattern is wrong, even on my image of a sub-adult, attached, you can see the the black ring should be far more extensive with just a tiny bit of yellow at the tip.

This site, shows an almost adult bird but again, extent of black on the bill, with a tiny, yellow tip, is obvious but wait for more expert opinions than mine!

Birding/ Bird watching on Cyprus - Armenian Gull

 

[Butty]

my image of a sub-adult

Yours is a 1st(-3rd?)-year. The OP's is a (sub?-)adult.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Yours is a 1st(-3rd?)-year. The OP's is a (sub?-)adult.

The bird in the photo at the link I attached, is also a sub adult and the bill pattern is the same.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Many thanks all, great to hear positive feedback and hats off to Christos - cracking find! We aged the bird as 4cy + (full adult).

 

[Butty]

We aged the bird as 4cy + (full adult)

Presumably... 5th-calendar-year in February ( = 4th-year) or older.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Presumably... 5th-calendar-year in February ( = 4th-year) or older.

Good point Butty, I'd already forgotten which year it is...

 

[kuzeycem]

Not an Armenian for me, bill pattern is wrong, even on my image of a sub-adult, attached, you can see the the black ring should be far more extensive with just a tiny bit of yellow at the tip.

This site, shows an almost adult bird but again, extent of black on the bill, with a tiny, yellow tip, is obvious but wait for more expert opinions than mine!

Birding/ Bird watching on Cyprus - Armenian Gull

OP bird shows a fully adult plumage and thus shouldn't be compared with the immatures in both of those photos

 

[lou salomon]

as said, the OB looks perfect for an alternate plumaged Armenian Gull, maybe 5cy but that is not sure at all, could be older. The bird attached to #5 is a 3cy (2nd cycle, alternate) and the bird in the link a 3rd cycle (presumably 4cy). Btw., that Armenian on Lake Karkini has already been seen and photographed by a whole bunch of people and confirmed as an Armenian Gull.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Thanks Lou - I have noticed on facebook the bird was found and reported just before we were out there. A superb find by Christos, and an unexpected lifer for me!