Gulls in NW Europe

(last update: September 25, 2011 )

Coordinators:
Jean-Michel Sauvage (France)
Mars Muusse (the Netherlands)

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hg rings

Herring Gull plumages:

HG 1cy July
HG 1cy August
HG 1cy September
HG 1cy October
HG 1cy November
HG 1cy December

HG 2cy January
HG 2cy February
HG 2cy March
HG 2cy April
HG 2cy May
HG 2cy June
HG 2cy July
HG 2cy August
HG 2cy September
HG 2cy October
HG 2cy November
HG 2cy December

HG 3cy January
HG 3cy February
HG 3cy March
HG 3cy April
HG 3cy May
HG 3cy June
HG 3cy July
HG 3cy August
HG 3cy September
HG 3cy October
HG 3cy November
HG 3cy December

HG sub-ad Jan.
HG sub-ad Feb.
HG sub-ad March
HG sub-ad April
HG sub-ad May
HG sub-ad June
HG sub-ad July
HG sub-ad Aug.
HG sub-ad Sept.
HG sub-ad Oct.
HG sub-ad Nov.
HG sub-ad Dec.

HG adult January
HG adult February
HG adult March
HG adult April
HG adult May
HG adult June
HG adult July
HG adult August
HG adult September
HG adult October
HG adult November
HG adult December

Herring Gull 4cy, January 23 2013, Katwijk, the Netherlands.

4CY and 5CY birds difficult to separate in many cases, but a single small mirror on P10, much dark in secondaries and extensive brown coverts is generally associated with 4cy birds.

Showing tail and upper-wing pattern. Inner primaries without obvious brown to grey cast or arrow pattern near tip (as in 3cy); instead, 4cy birds often have adult-like grey inner primaries with a white tip. Central primaries normally echo the adult pattern, showing obvious sub-terminal bands with pale tip on P5. Outer primaries may appear surprisingly immature, brown without white tips. P10 may or may not show a mirror. At least a reasonable set of secondaries appear adult-like, predominantly grery with an obvious white tip.