American Herring Gull (smithsonianus)

(last update: October 30, 2015)

Coordinators:
Amar Ayyash (US)
Bruce Mactavish (Canada)
Dave Brown (Canada)
Mars Muusse (Netherlands)

Slaty-backed Gull (schistisagus) 3rd cycle (4CY), February 17 2014, Choshi, Chiba, Japan. Picture: Shiroto.

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Upperpart grey tone as in Lesser Black-backed Gull, amber iris, pink legs. 3rd gen flight feathers: adult-like inner and central primaries, outer primaries normally with relatively small white tips, secondaries grey base with bold white tips and more white in tail than in 2nd gen rectrices. Often mirror on P10. Note very broad white tips of lower tertials, which continue on the tips of the secondaries. Underparts still very mottled.