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Rissa tridactila or h. M ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ryszard
- Start date
lou salomon
the birdonist
looks like a 1cy Rissa tridactyla allright, apart from the last pic which shows a Gannet.
EllenTarbox
Well-known member
Yes, last photo is of a Gannet
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Where is it, please?
I'm struggling to see why it isn't an immature Common Gull (apart from the Gannet of course!); the overall head streaking fits that better than Kitti's dark ear spot.
I'm struggling to see why it isn't an immature Common Gull (apart from the Gannet of course!); the overall head streaking fits that better than Kitti's dark ear spot.
dwatsonbirder
Well-known member
Doesn't the second image show a winter plumage Little Gull?
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Must admit I'd been assuming pics #1-6 were all the same individual, but they may not be - for clarification, the pics I mainly based my imm. Common Gull ID on are #4-5, but #1 looks like it too. Pic #2 could be a 1st-w Little Gull, though I'd also not rule out Kittiwake for that one.
lou salomon
the birdonist
structurally it is clear that this is not a little gull. in pic 2 you can clearly see the ear spot. it has a (narrow) black tail band. 1cy common gull has a different underwing pattern (even in these low resolution pics there would be some dark markings visible). hope this helps solving some of the upper confusions.
Although the pictures aren't really clear, I'm struggling to see anything other than a Kittiwake.
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
What's "h. M"? (In the thread title) Perhaps it's obvious, but I'm struggling here.
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
I've been wondering that too!
RafaelMatias
Unknown member
lou salomon
the birdonist
"herring mewa"???
I assumed Hydrocoloeus minutus
Ryszard
Well-known member
Yes, I meant Hydrocoloeus minutus. I'm sorry I used a shortcut. Too difficult this Latin name 😉 I have to use "copy and paste" function more often. I think it is one of these two species. Both are now regularly seen on the Baltic coast.
Sorry Lou, but I have to disagree with your analysis🙂.
The bird in question is a first-winter Little Gull, in my opinion. Most of the images give a decent hint of an underwing pattern that is much more compatible with Little Gull than with Kittiwake, the impression being that there is a narrow white trailing edge to the wing, from the mid-primaries to the body, and even a faint suggestion of a secondary-bar. A Kittiwake would show considerably more translucency on the inner primaries and secondaries than we can see here. The very small bill and pinkish tinge to the body are further clues that point to Little Gull.
Killian
The bird in question is a first-winter Little Gull, in my opinion. Most of the images give a decent hint of an underwing pattern that is much more compatible with Little Gull than with Kittiwake, the impression being that there is a narrow white trailing edge to the wing, from the mid-primaries to the body, and even a faint suggestion of a secondary-bar. A Kittiwake would show considerably more translucency on the inner primaries and secondaries than we can see here. The very small bill and pinkish tinge to the body are further clues that point to Little Gull.
Killian
lou salomon
the birdonist
no need to be sorry, Killian, it's always a good lesson to look more properly - and as (almost) always when you interfer, you are right . while i was convinced that structure (esp. in pic 1 and 4) was that of a slightly larger bird and didn't see the dark trailing edge to secondaries (actually i hardly see it even now, just a ghost of it), i totally ignored the slight peachy tingue to body, the tiny bill, rounded wingtips (actually i saw them but thought it was just the quality of the pics making them rounded) and lack of a prominent dark shawl (which again i thought was due to angle and low resolution pics). and of course the lack of a broad translucent hindwing which in the pics would have appeared white. thanks for putting this right.
so, Ryszard, 1cy Hydrocoloeus minutus it is.
. while i was convinced that structure (esp. in pic 1 and 4) was that of a slightly larger bird and didn't see the dark trailing edge to secondaries (actually i hardly see it even now, just a ghost of it), i totally ignored the slight peachy tingue to body, the tiny bill, rounded wingtips (actually i saw them but thought it was just the quality of the pics making them rounded) and lack of a prominent dark shawl (which again i thought was due to angle and low resolution pics). and of course the lack of a broad translucent hindwing which in the pics would have appeared white. thanks for putting this right.so, Ryszard, 1cy Hydrocoloeus minutus it is.
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