glaucoides - kumlieni

(last update: January 26, 2012)

Iceland Gull (glaucoides) 4cy / 5cy, March 01 2010, Njardvik, SW Iceland. Picture: Hans Larsson.

Age 3rd / 4th winter: showing adult-like inner primaries, yellow bill with reduced dark spot, several immature patterns on tail and on coverts.

Primary category: --

Saturated yellow bill and rich yellow iris maybe best fit 5cy bird. Vestiges of immaturity in greater primary coverts and in the tail. White primaries, with darker outer-webs on P7-P10 but no suggestion of a sub-terminal band on the outer primaries. Hence, pattern of melanism on outer primaries not close to what be expected in Kumlien's Gull, and added to this: the darker outer-webs on the outer primaries are about as dark as the grey-brownish hue on primary coverts (but this may change due to the relative angle to the observer; see last image). Such troublesome birds are maybe best left unidentified or considered "still within the range of glaucoides".

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.