Steppe Gull - barabensis

(last update: 8-9-2014 )

Coordinator:
Mars Muusse (Netherlands)

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barabensis 1CY July
barabensis 1CY Aug
barabensis 1CY Oct
barabensis 1CY Nov

barabensis 2CY Jan
barabensis 2CY Febr
barabensis 2CY March
barabensis 2CY July
barabensis 2CY Nov

barabensis 3CY June
barabensis 3CY Nov

barabensis sub-ad Jan
barabensis sub-ad June
barabensis sub-ad Nov

barabensis ad Jan
barabensis ad March
barabensis ad May
barabensis ad June
barabensis ad July
barabensis ad Nov
barabensis ad Dec

cachinnans-type 2CY, February 28 2001, Manama harbour, Bahrain.

Barabensis class II 1st winter or cachinnans.

General jizz advocates female cachinnans, with long legs, long pointed wings, high breast and slender long bill. The very white-headed appearance, streaking confined to the collar, slender rather long bill, plain pale grey fresh scapulars with only a shaft streak all fit 1st winter female cachinnans and seem to exclude heuglini, which would be smudgy and often shows a heavier bill. Also, the long neck and pointed wings indicate cachinnans. Short legs are more typical for barabensis, though in barabensis the legs are often fractional thicker, so here more in line with cachinnans. The median covert tips are all worn away so it’s unclear whether these tips created an obvious white line on the wing. Covert moult still hasn’t started. The very broad black tail band with chevrons on the upper tail coverts may be indicative for barabensis. Cachinnans (at least from western ponticus populations) often show a thinner, clean black band and contrasting clean white upper tail coverts. Note again the diamond shaped centres of the lower scapulars.