Gulls in NW Europe

(last update: September 25, 2011 )

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

Home

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 sub-adult, 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 & tail, and extensive brown coverts is generally associated with 4cy birds.

Birds are probably 5CY, when only vestiges of black are present in greater primary coverts; otherwise they show a white tail, unmarked secondaries and sharply defined wing-tip pattern. Still, exact ageing remains difficult in unringed birds, and argenteus may develop a more advanced plumage than nominate argentatus, so age of unringed birds probably best left unclassified as "sub-adult".