glaucoides - kumlieni

(last update: January 26, 2012)

Kumlien's Gull (kumlieni) 4cy, March 01 2010, Njardvik, SW Iceland. Picture: Hans Larsson.

Age 4cy: showing yellow bill with reduced dark spot, several immature patterns on coverts and tertials, markings on underwing coverts and rectrices, pale (amber-yellow) iris, some grey scapulars.

Primary category: --

Overall dark bird: much mottling and patterning on body and coverts. Outer primaries with dark outer-webs and hint of mirrors due to slightly browner tips. Inner primaries with brown wash on inner-webs. Outer-webs on P8-P9 darker than on inner primaries, and probably darker than primary coverts (but difficult to determine).

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.