Heuglin's Gull (L. heuglini / antelius)
(last update:
Heuglini adult, February 02 2008, Morjim Beach, Goa, India. Picture: Tom Tams.
See also Tom's website. P9 fully grown. Greater primary coverts plain grey. Late moult typical for heuglini, although exact tone of grey difficult to determine from images. Alternative would be barabensis, breeding taxon from the Novosibirsk steppe, but this is normally an early moulting taxon.
From the heuglini breeding sites on the Russian tundra, it is about 6.000 km south to reach Goa beach.
Below: estimated breeding distribution of Asian taxa (source: Liebers-Helbig et all, 2010).
