Vega Gull (vegae) / セグロカモメ / 재갈매기

(last update: December 2015)

Vega Gull (vegae) 2nd cycle / 2CY December

The thumbnails show some Vega Gulls (vegae) in 2nd cycle, several photographed between December 27 2009 - January 04 2010, Choshi, Japan, by Chris Gibbins.
They have 2nd gen flight feathers, sometimes with faint mirror on P10. There is often thin vermiculation at the tops of innerwebs of P2-P4, similar to European Herring Gull. They are very pale on rump and proximal half of rectrices, unlike American Herring Gull. Markings on undertail coverts are widely spaced, like in European brds, unlike American Herrings. If any grey tone is present on the fresh feathers, this is a shade darker than on argenteus and on smithsonianus.

2nd generation flight feathers. In some birds, the new scapulars reflect the grey tone of adult plumage.

After the complete moult in the summer months, some 2CY birds may start a subsequent limited moult in upper tertials and/or inner wing-coverts. In these birds, the new coverts (and new scapulars) often reflect the grey tone of adult plumage. The partial autumn moult took place in September-October, but the generation division is still obvious by January.

Second cycle (2nd winter) American Herring Gull smithsonianus

In Dutch Birding Vol 26-01 2004 Lonergan & Mullarney address 9 criteria for identification of 2nd cycle (2nd winter) smithsonianus in a flock of European Herring Gull argentatus and argenteus. With growing age, a smaller proportion of smithsonianus remains "acceptable" in a European context (maybe a minority, but not quantified?).

1. solid brown feathers in neck (brown boa) without any lining, form a sharp division to mantle. From the neck the solid texture continues to side of breast and flank.
2. tertials with extensive very dark centres, hardly a pale tip. No transversal lines and hardly any notching.
3. undertail coverts and vent with dense barring, ideally reducing the pale parts into pairs of spots, and the longest undertail coverts completely dark on the centres.
4. uppertail coverts and rump densely barred in fall. Late winter feathers of rump will be replaced for white feathers.
5. tail feathers ideally completely blackish, including most of the outerweb of R6.
6. bi-coloured bill like in Glaucous Gull hyperboreus.
7. primaries in smithsonianus similar to argentatus, but only seldom with mirror on P10.
8. underwing coverts solid brown, lacking any barring.
9. uniform greater coverts, limited lining or barring.
10. upperparts, A: if brown, then hardly any barring but uniform back, scapulars with dark triangular centre and pale fringe; B: if back is grey, then often contrast between grey back and brown shawl in neck, brown coverts and brown underparts.

American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 2nd cycle P02 March 05 2012, NH Coast (Keith Mueller). Banded July 15 2010. Classic 2nd cycle plumage with pale panel on inner primaries, and mostly dark outer primaries.	American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 2nd cycle, February 07 2005, Newfoundland (Jeff Poklen). Bold 'smoky' winter streaking concentrated in the hindneck, but also on flanks and underparts. Obvious greater covert bar. Note replaced upper tertials and greater covert #2 (from partrial autumn moult), and note pale iris. From a European perspective probably 'the most rewarding' type of bird to look for.
American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 2nd cycle L52 April 13 2013, Hampton beach, NH (Jon Woolf). Banded in 2011. A relatively "advanced" individual, but note 2nd generation flight feathers (pattern on lower TT and especially dark centres of secondaries just visible beneath GC's). Birds like this are likely to go undetected in Europe.	American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 2nd cycle, December 08 2012, Lake County, IL (Amar Ayyash). Classic 2nd cycle plumage with pale panel on inner primaries, and mostly dark outer primaries.

And below are a few example birds from Europe: Herring Gull argentatus.

Herring Gull (argentatus) 2nd cycle J9RZ November 01 2007, Westkapelle, the Netherlands (Pim Wolf). Banded in NE Norway (70°N). Resembling 1st cycle, but pale eye and mirror on underside of 2nd gen P10. Much white in tail and pale underparts.	Herring Gull (argenteus) 2nd cycle GR20814 November 28 2012, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France (Jean-Michel Sauvage). Banded in the U.K. Pale eye and chequered tertial centres and greater coverts. Much white in tail, undertail coverts and pale underparts.
Herring Gull (argentatus) 2nd cycle, November 26 2013, Katwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands (Mars Muusse). Complete moult finished. Unringed, hence no provenance on origin but overall coloration and jizz suggest nominate argentatus. Pale rump.	Herring Gull (argenteus) 2nd cycle YALB December 23 2010, IJmuiden, the Netherlands (Mars Muusse). Banded as pullus in 2009. Pale iris, pale base of bill and typical checkered pattern of 2nd gen secondaries. Pale undertail coverts with wide spacing, pale base of outer rectrices. Spotted underparts.