Herring Gull (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: February 11, 2013)

Slaty-backed Gull schistisagus adult, January 02 2010, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Chris Gibbins.

Bird in very direct sunlight. Upperparts tone paler than Great Black-backed Gull. Chris: "The palest bird that I identified as SBG during my trip in Japan. In the field I recorded this bird as being fractionally darker than graellsii but not as dark as intermedius. It appears a rather large and bulky/compact bird, at least as captured in this relaxed posture." Much black in the wingtip.