(delawarensis)
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Ring-billed Gull (delawarensis) |
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IMAGES:
DESCRIPTION:
1)
5 shots of unusual first winter (the Breezy Point bird)
2)
2 first year standing and in flight
3)
all ages Mark Cassino's collection
4)
adult in flight showing primary pattern
RING-BILLED GULL (18-21"; 47-50") delawarensis
| BILL SHAPE: rather slim; larger than Mew; about 3-4x eye diam; gon angle small; long slope of culmen to tip | ||||
| HEAD SHAPE: rounded but w/ elongated crown; more dove-like than Calif; brow smaller than Calif, heavier than Mew | ||||
| WING EXTENSTION: long; 1.5x bill length | ||||
| POSTURE/HABITS: | ||||
| FIRST WINTER | SECOND WINTER | ADULT WINTER | ||
| BILL COLOR: | flesh to dull yellow w/ usually sharply defined black outer 1/3, extending in on cutting edge; tip may be pale | yellow, usually w/ thick black band | yellow w/ black subterm band; rarely the band is faint gray | |
| LEG COLOR: | pink | gray to dull yellow w/ greenish tone | yellow to greenish-yellow | |
| IRIS/ORB RING: | dark | usually as adult | pale yellow, rarely dark; orb ring orange-red | |
| HEAD: | well defined streaks on crown and aurs, concentrated most around eye; nape more spotted; lores and throat white | fine streaking over crown and aurs, densest before eye; heavier spotting on nape | fine short streaks over crown and aurs; aur edge paler; thicker spotting on nape and neck sides | |
| UNDERPARTS: | white w/ variable spotting across breast and down flanks | variable spotting or blotching across upper breast; otherwise white | white | |
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PRIMARIES (folded): |
black | black | A-spots small and decreasing; A7 size of eye; A10 barely visible | |
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PRIMARIES (in flight): |
outer Ps black; inner Ps pale w/ dark subterm spots, creating obvious pale window | P7-10 mostly black; tiny mirror on P10 possible; black to P5 or P4 | extensive black on P8-10; med mirror on P10; small mirror on P9; black usually on P5, often to P4; gray undersides show no contrast | |
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SECONDARIES (in flight): |
dark w/ pale fringe; underwing coverts white w/ thin dark feather edges | as adult, but may have dark marks | adult gray w/ thin white trailing edge | |
| TERTIALS: | dark g-b w/ pale edges; may include large pale spots at tip of each side of shaft | adult gray w/ thin faded white crescent | adult gray w/ small faded white crescent, about 1/3 bill length | |
| GREATER COVERTS: | whitish w/ two rows of g-b spots or bands, fading quickly to nearly white | adult gray w/ hints of pale brown | adult gray | |
| LESSER & MED COVERTS: | whitish w/ dark interior diamonds, fading quickly | adult gray w/ hints of pale brown | adult gray | |
| SCAPULARS: | adult gray; may have a few dark marks or pale fringes | adult gray | adult gray w/ no white crescent | |
| BACK: | adult gray w/ variably scattered dark marks or pale fringes | adult gray | adult gray is pale cool gray, like Herring smithson. | |
| RUMP: | white w/ scattered dark V-marks | white | white | |
| TAIL: | white w/ broad black subterm band, mottled on outer retrices; variable thinner "shadow bands" at fringe and inside main band; single black band or mostly dark tail rare | white w/ variable, usually broken, black subterm band or marks | white | |
The was table created by Steve Hampton and is intended to futher our knowledge of gull identification.
Please email me at
[email protected] if you have any suggestions for updating or improving this table. Thanks.