glaucoides - kumlieni

(last update: January 26, 2012)

Iceland / Kumlien's Gull 3cy, March 02 2010, Sandgerdi, SW Iceland. Picture: Hans Larsson.

Age 3cy: showing bi-coloured bill with pale base, pale (amber-yellow) iris, some grey scapulars, dark barring on most of the coverts and tertials.

Primary category: --

Dark bird, believed to be at the dark end of the spectrum of glaucoides, but probably better left unidentified, as it shows characteristics overlapping in dark glaucoides - pale kumlieni. Much mottling and patterning on body and coverts. Outer primaries with greyish markings, however no obvious contrast between inner and outer primaries. Pattern on P8-P10 not typical for kumlieni (no impression / echo of thayeri pattern).

Note: Hans Larsson presents many images on this site, all birds photographed late February - early March in Iceland. Identification on sub-species level is tentative in these birds, as both Canadian kumlieni and nominate glaucoides (bulk of the birds of course) may be expected late winter. On location, most birds will belong to pale glaucoides, (and most are readily identified as such, showing very pale to white plumage), but in the spectrum, the exact line between dark glaucoides and pale kumlieni is still subject of debate and birds in this overlapping zone may probably best left unidentified at time present.
See als Hans Larsson's website.