Herring Gull- Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: 7-2-2007)

(2 images) Herring Gull KA803cy (argentatus), January 15 2004, Lubna rubbish dump, Poland (52°02'N 21°08'E).

A typical argentatus ringed red KA80. Ringed as pullus Larus argentatus / Herring Gull (Lar.arg.-complex) on June 29 2002 at Snudy Lake, Lakino Island, Braslav district, Vitebsk region, Belarus (55.46'N 27.03'E). Another bird from the same island: red K756 ringed in 1999.

The brown second generation primaries lack a mirror on P10. The second generation tail has a broad dark tail-band.
The new scapulars in northern argentatus may appear very second generation-like, as this individual clearly illustrates. There are no uniform grey feathers, but all are brownish with a clear anchor pattern. Some grey-based scapulars appear abraded at the fringes already, especially in the upper scapulars and the back.
This individual has moulted the tertials #1-3 and some wing-coverts in the partial autumn moult as 2cy bird: greater coverts #1-3 have been replaced, median coverts #1-3 and and some outer lower lesser coverts have been replaced. The new feathers have fresh fringes and tips. The patterns are very similar to the second generation feathers, although a few are typically grey based.