glaucoides - kumlieni

(last update: January 26, 2012)

Kumlien's Gull (kumlieni) adult, February 07 2007, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Pictures: Chris Gibbins.

Age adult winter, lacking brown wash on primary coverts.

Wingtip darkness score: 2.5 - medium-dark grey (Estimated Kodak 11-13). In the study by Howell & Mactavish, about 6% of Kumlien's Gulls in New Foundland belong to this category, see Table 1.

Wingtip scoring for dark markings on P5-P10: 0-2-2-4-4-1. See Plate 1 for explanation. Note that P6 only has a very ill-defined minute sub-terminal triangle, which would probably be scored "0" in the field (and probably also by the study by Howell & Mactavish).

Wingtip pattern category: Type K, Stage 4; darker grey or more extensive grey marks on the outer five primaries with complete subterminal bands on zero to three primaries. See primary patterns for explanation. In the study by Howell & Mactavish, about 55% of Kumlien's Gulls in New Foundland belong to this category, see Table 2. Again, it is important to point at the minute sub-terminal marking at P6; when this is neglected, this bird would be Type G, Stage 3.

Iris colour variation: 1.5 - greenish or yellowish, extensively mottled brown. In the study by Howell & Mactavish, about 15% of Kumlien's Gulls in New Foundland belong to this category, see Table 3. Classification on speckling: Class 5 - speckling >50%, see iris speckling).