Yellow-legged
Gull - Larus michahellis
(last update: October 08 2013)
Coordinators:
Delfín González
Gabriel Martín
Antonio Gutierrez
Amir Ben Dov
Mars Muusse
Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 2CY, July 26 2001, Boulogne-sur-Mer, NW France.
Beneath the tertials, p4, 5 and 6 are visible and fully grown; p9-p10 are still juvenile. The upper 4 tertials are new, #5 is growing. In the rectrices, tail-feather R5 is growing and the tail moult is almost finished. Moult progresses in the scapulars, greater and lesser coverts. Note the red gonydeal spot and the red orbital ring in 2CY. Note the clear difference in the greater coverts: #1-2 are much plainer grey than #3 and outwards. This can be seen in many michahellis. The inner greater (and more often the inner median coverts) may have been replaced earlier in autumn as well and are included again in the partial spring moult. Other 2CY michahellis may continue moult outwards, leaving the inner coverts unmoulted (these unmoulted inner coverts then appear much more abraded in the fringes than the ones next to them). Active moult is in progress in the lesser coverts.
