American Herring Gull (smithsonianus)

(last update: October 30, 2015)

Coordinators:
Amar Ayyash (US)
Bruce Mactavish (Canada)
Dave Brown (Canada)
Mars Muusse (Netherlands)

Herring Gull (argenteus) (sub) adult, March 04 2011, Iceland. Picture: Ómar Runólfsson.

Visit Omar's Flickr website for images.

Bird in March on Iceland. Unfortunately, underwing pattern on outer primaries not visible, but some resemblance to smithsonianus: full sub-terminal band on P10, mirror on P9 only on inner-web, and full band on P5. Also, P6 and P7 have pointed spikes running up along the outer-edge of the primaries. However, underwing pattern should show deep, long togues on P9 and P10, and black on P9 is reaching the greater primary coverts almost entirely over the outer-web (ideally, black on outer-web should not reach the coverts in smithsonianus).

Assumed sub-adult, as there is still some dark marking in the primary coverts.