Larus cachinnans
(last update:
Greg Neubauer
Marcin Przymencki
Albert de Jong
Mars Muusse
cachinnans plumages
Larus cachinnans 3P93 sub-adult, May 04 2014, Zastów Karczmiski, Poland. Picture: Łukasz Bednarz ringing team.
Please visit Łukasz's BLOG for beautiful drawings and up-to-date gull news from eastern Poland: Wildlife art and illustration
Location: Zastów Karczmiski, Poland - colony at the banks of the Middle Vistula river.
In 2004 240 breeding pairs (95% cachinnans, <5% argentatus). (Ornis Fennica 2011 88, 80-89) and in 2012 592 pairs (90% cachinnans, <10% hybrid / argentatus) and possibly Larus michahellis (pers comm. Łukasz Bednarz).
Middle Vistule river is a location where several taxa breed: see composition. Since this is a mixed breeding population where hybridisation is not uncommon, the ringing centre in Poland decided to label birds "Larus argentatus sensu lato". Still bulk of the breeding birds in Middle Vistula region show features of cachinnans.
Breeding bird trapped at the nest. Sub-adult (4CY/5CY) with black markings in primary coverts.
Dense speckling in iris. Red orbital ring and gape. No red on upper mandible; faint black on the upper and on the lower mandible.
Pink legs with yellow hue.
Deep white tongue on P10, broken black band on P5; no black spot on P4.
P1-P2 dropped, PMS=2.
