Herring Gull - Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: 08 december 2003)

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Herring Gull DA 2???adult (argenteus), June 13 2002, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).

A bird with a French ring: DA 2??? Museum Paris. The red gonydeal spot slightly extends on the upper mandible (which is normally not the case in Dutch argenteus) and the orbital ring is rather orange-red, not as yellow-orange as in adult argenteus from the Netherlands. P10 has a large mirror reaching both edges of inner and outer-web and the black sub-terminal band is worn away. The P9 mirror is concentrated on the inner-web. The colour of the legs is not flesh-pink, but slightly yellowish pink, translucent in a way. By mid-June the complete moult is well underway with the inner primaries shed, nicely illustrated by this individual which has dropped P1-P2. 

Argenteus has a partial moult of body and head in spring. It starts in January (when adults in the Netherlands may already return to the colonies) and is completed by April, leaving birds in so-called "adult summer" plumage. The head is clean white and the white primary tips are slightly worn and the dark patches bleached. Otherwise, this plumage much resembles the "adult winter" plumage. The bare parts are more saturated, as the breeding season has started.

From June (often mid-May in France, Belgium and the Netherlands) to October, a complete moult will bring birds in so-called "adult winter" plumage. A new set of primaries will grow during the summer months and by mid June, the first two, innermost primary will be dropped in argenteus in the Netherlands and northern France.
The scapular coverts are plain grey, lacking white crescents. The tertials show obvious white tips. The iris is yellow. The bill is yellow with a red gonydeal spot confined to the lower mandible. The orbital ring is yellow-orange or orange-red in argenteus. The legs are flesh-pink in Dutch argenteus.