2cy intermedius JXU7 June 18 2002, Papegaaienbek - Maasvlakte, the Netherlands.
Here you find third type 2cy LBBG with a very pale head and an almost completely second generation plumage.
The bill has a small pale tip and the base of the
lower mandible turns yellow already. The legs are
distinctly short and in general it's a small, pot-bellied and 'neck-less' individual,
originating from an intermedius population in Norway.
Primary moult is at an average stage for 2cy LBBG in the Netherlands, with P5 still juvenile.
The tail-feather have all been moulted to fresh second generation feathers, showing a neat white tip, except R5, which is still juvenile.
Most of the wing-coverts and tertials were moulted in one wave, as most of these
feathers have a relatively same degree of wear in the fringes. Such a moult
strategy on the wintering grounds can be found in heuglini as well (see
e.g. this 2cy heuglini in
Bahrain, this one and this
one) and must be common in fuscus. All tertials were included in the
post-juvenile moult last winter and the tips show slight wear already in the
fringes (though the better protected lower tertials appear pretty neat).
The inner 11 greater coverts were moulted to second generation, while #12 and
greater coverts further outwards are still juvenile. These juvenile coverts have
the fringes completely worn away and can be recognized by the warm brown centres.
The outer greater coverts (hidden by the flank feathers are missing and this
bird follows a moult strategy inwhich the outer greater coverts grow
inwards towards the central feathers. Greater covert #2 is
probably missing and #3 looks much fresher than #1 and #4. As can be
seen in the picture, the central greater coverts look relatively dark and fresh
compared to the inner coverts and the medians directly above the central
greaters.
In the
median coverts, the moult strategy is difficult to ascertain, as many
feathers are of uneven length and show different stages of wear. Median covert
#1 has been replaced very recently and is dark grey (this feather is hardly
visible, just beneath the first lower lesser covert). All other inner and
central median coverts have a simple pattern of a brown base, bleached towards
the fringe with a wedge-shaped dark centre.
In the lower lesser coverts two feathers stand out as fresher with a grey base
(not as pale brown as the other feathers). Lower lesser covert # 3 has a broad
dark central wedge and #11 is darker than surrounding coverts with an
ill-defined dark shaft. In the lesser coverts seven feathers appear darker and
are probably moulted last. In the carpal edge a few feathers are still juvenile.
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (like many other large white-headed gulls) normally
have the last juvenile wing-coverts concentrated in the central greater coverts
and the small lesser coverts in the upper row and carpal edge.
In the scapulars, most feathers show a base colour and pattern similar to the
wing-coverts. The rear lower scapulars have a broad dark central wedge, but in
most other scapulars the shaft is a neat black line in the otherwise pale brown
feathers. Eight scapulars have been replaced for all dark third generation feathers.
The lowest row of lower scapulars (normally moulted late in the season and last
in line in the scapular area) consists of all brown second generation feathers
and holds a strong clue for these dark feathers to be of third generation.
CR-Code
Blue with white code
JXU7
Ringing Centre
Stavanger
Ringnumber
4240027
Ringer
Tor Oddvar Hansen
Species
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus
fuscus intermedius)
Sex
X
Age
Pull
Date
18.07.2001
Place
Rauna, Farsund, Vest-Agder,
NORWAY
Co-ordinates
58.03 N - 06.40 E
18.06.2002
Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, NETHERLANDS
51.59 N - 04.01 E
Theo Muusse,
Mars Muusse
15.08.2003
Tarragona, Tarragona, SPAIN
41.07 N - 01.15 E
Albert Cama Torrell
16.08.2003
Tarragona, Tarragona, SPAIN
41.07 N - 01.15 E
Albert Cama Torrell