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What type of gull?

Posted: Dec 01 5:56 pm
by Lawrence
What type of gull has a black beak and dark feet? Its predominant colour was light gray.

Re: What type of gull?

Posted: Dec 02 2:12 pm
by StevenRoias
This is not a whole lot of information to work with. You should start by reviewing the common gulls in your region (i.e., where did you observe this bird?). Please be aware that gulls have different plumages by age (e.g., most white headed gulls have a 4-year cycle prior to maturity; sporting a different, sometimes subtle, plumage in each of its immature years). The dark feet is not likely a good feature to use, since the "dark" could simply be mud. I presume the bird in question was observed in BC. Please review 1st winter Glaucous-winged gull, hybrid Glaucous-winged/Western Gull, Herring Gull to name a few. Add more detail if you recall any, such as size of bird (relative to other familiar gulls), colour of the wing primary extension (aka wing tip), shape of bill, colour of eyes (usually evaluated by the more experienced observer), leg colour may help but caution is advised (because of dirt, etc.), colour/pattern of mantle/scapulars relative to primary extention/wing coverts. If you're unfamiliar with wing or external bird anatomy, I suggest you google "external anatomy of a gull". You will find some useful illustrations to help you describe features. Cheers.