Possible American Herring Gull (1 Viewer)

[jmorlan]

American Herring Gull (Larus argentatus smithsonianus)
9 February 2019. Choshi--Choshi Port, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

We tentatively identified this bird as an American Herring Gull. Can anybody confirm? Thanks.

 

[lou salomon]

i think this must be one of the dark and contrasting individuals of 1st winter slaty-backed gulls. it has a considerable 'secondary skirt', which am herring gulls don't show. take the overall bulky impression and the pale primary edges and it doesn't resemble a smithsonianus anymore.

 

[jmorlan]

Thanks for the feedback. It does have a pot-bellied look of Slaty-backed but it also has pale inner primary wedge more like Herring. Here is a flight shot of what is thought to be the same bird taken a few days later by a Japanese birder, Yoshiya Odaya.

 

[apcdave]

in short ....no