Heuglin's Gull (L. heuglini / antelius)

(last update: 6-3-2011)

2cy heuglini: July

General description of 2cy heuglini in July-August in Finland

Some 2cy birds in Finland strongly contrast from the usual 2cy fuscus which can be present whole summer at various landfills. Most obvious in these birds is retarded moult in the primaries and they show much more contrast in wing-coverts and scapulars. They are believed to be 2cy heuglini. A few of these birds can be found at this page.

In general, these 2cy birds have extensive post-juvenile moult, compared to average British graellsii. But the Scandinavian taxon intermedius is known to have a very similar moult strategy, and they are often very hard to fully exclude. In Finnish birds, moult include the scapulars, (almost all) wing-coverts, the tertials and often tail-feathers and (sometimes) secondaries. The primaries are normally left out of this moult or primary moult is arrested, which then resembles the winter moult of 2cy fuscus.

In general, heuglini somewhat resembles cachinnans, both in jizz and in pattern on the second generation wing-coverts and in this repect may be identified from the more stocky, pigeon-like intermedius (although not all intermedius look short-legged and pot-bellied).

For direct comparison with 2cy fuscus, see fuscus 2cy section.

All images are introduced "heuglini". Note that all identifications of birds in Bahrain are tentative, especially assignments to type (barabensis, cachinnans, heuglini) - please interpret each use of a racial name (xxx) as meaning "appears to be closest to xxx based upon population averages".

We believe the birds depicted here all resemble 2cy heuglini. If you feel some may be closer related to other types, please let us know. Any suggestions and comments on these points are very welcome.