Thayer's Gull (thayeri)

(last update: January 22, 2013)

Thayer's Gull adult, August 30 2014, Qaanaaq - North Greenland. Picture: Rasmus Due Nielsen.

Bird photographed at Qaanaaq (77°28.00 N). Bird in complete moult, with P1-P6 fully grown, P7 growing and P8-P10 still old. The old unshed primaries have lost their color and are much paler greyish-brown then the fresh new inner primaries. No thayeri pattern on either P9 nor P10, the dark medial band reaches the innerweb of the feathers. Sub-terminal band on P5 broken at the shaft. Note dark peppered iris and purple orbital ring. Red spot not reaching the cutting edge, confined to lower mandible. Legs rather pale pink, not saturated 'bubblegum' pink.

Moult in wing-covert panel reaches its final stage, with almost all coverts replaced and the gap in the greater covert row closing. All rectrices and secondaries still present, but moult at these loci may now start any moment.

below: Qaanaaq in May 2003. Picture: Allen Bugge.
Large parts of the waters still frozen in May at 77°. Hardly a cosy location to start breeding, only 1393 KM from the north pole.