second cycle Glaucous-winged x Western Gull

second cycle
Glaucous-winged x Western Gull

Fig 1) Look at the bird on the left. Note the pale adult gray color above, like Glaucous-winged Gull, and the darker primaries, much closer to Western Gull in shade. Adult Herring Gull on right. Note that Western/Glaucous-winged/ Yellow-footed Gulls usually stand with some secondaries exposed, while this is rarely true of Herring gulls. February 17. Malibu Lagoon, California. Photo courtesy of Don DesJardin.

Fig 2) Same bird as above. Adult Western Gull in background (again, note the white skirt of the exposed secondaries).

Fig 3) Apparent fresh second winter bird. This may be a pure Western Gull, as identifying a hybrid can be tricky. Note the bill is still mostly dark, which is not uncommon in Glaucous- winged Gull. August 27, 1996. Photo courtesy of Don DesJardin.

Fig 4) Quiz bird #12. See full discussion here.