Herring Gull- Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: 8-2-2007)

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Herring Gull plumages:

hg 1cy July
hg 1cy August
hg 1cy September
hg 1cy October
hg 1cy November
hg 1cy December

hg 2cy January
hg 2cy February
hg 2cy March
hg 2cy April
hg 2cy May
hg 2cy June
hg 2cy July
hg 2cy August
hg 2cy September
hg 2cy October
hg 2cy November
hg 2cy December

hg 3cy January
hg 3cy February
hg 3cy March
hg 3cy April
hg 3cy May
hg 3cy June
hg 3cy July
hg 3cy August
hg 3cy September
hg 3cy October
hg 3cy November
hg 3cy December

hg sub-ad January
hg sub-ad February
hg sub-ad March
hg sub-ad April
hg sub-ad May
hg sub-ad June
hg sub-ad July
hg sub-ad August
hg sub-ad September
hg sub-ad October
hg sub-ad November
hg sub-ad December

hg ad January
hg ad February
hg ad March
hg ad April
hg ad May
hg ad June
hg ad July
hg ad August
hg ad September
hg ad October
hg ad November
hg ad December

Herring Gull H-xxxxxx3cy (argenteus), February 06 2003, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.43N-01.37E).

A typical argenteus ringed in Belgium: Bruxelles H-??????. The blackish-brown second generation primaries lack a mirror on P10. The second generation tail has a broad dark tail-band.
Most of the new scapulars are more or less uniform pale grey with just a few patterned brownish feathers left in the rear upper and lower scapulars. Some grey scapulars appear abraded at the fringes already, especially in the upper scapulars.
This Belgian individual has moulted tertials and a few wing-coverts have been replaced to third generation feathers in the partial autumn moult: the third tertial is obvious fresher than the adjacent feathers, the greater coverts #3 have been replaced more recently as well, three median coverts and two lower lesser coverts have been replaced. The new feathers have fresh fringes and tips and especially the new median and lower lesser coverts stand out as grey feathers. The patterns of new tertials and greater coverts is very similar to the second generation feathers, although they are typically grey-based
with faint sub-terminal markings and a pronounced shaft streak.