Vega Gull (vegae) / セグロカモメ / 재갈매기
(last update: December 2015)
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle / 2CY January
1st cycle Vega Gull vegae
Immature Vega Gull vegae from NE Russia look extremely similar to European birds, and so far there is no diagnostic set of traits, but a few points may be relevant in 1st cycle Vega Gull:
- tertials often obviously darker than brown tone in coverts, only narrow pale fringe lacking deep notching (less contrasting in European Herring Gull);
- uppertail coverts more densely barred (widely spaced chevron pattern in European Herrings):
- rectrices with broader dark band (often narrower dark tail band in European Herrings).
Below are a few example European birds, for more birds see HERE.
And below are a few American Herring Gulls. For more examples, see HERE.
 |
 |
American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) juvenile X50 August 30 2012, Gloucester, MA (Keith Mueller). Juvenile fresh dark plumage, but already single feathers in upper scapulars seem to be missing. Note overall dark brown aspect, bill size and shape, and dull pinkish on bill base. |
American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 1st cycle, October 08 2006, Newfoundland (Bruce Mactavish). Juvenile plumage, no scaps replaced by early-Ocober. Scapular tips start to show a first sign of wear and upperpart edgings have bleached to whitish. Note the pale base of the bill, uniform under-parts and neck, dark tail, bold pattern on undertail-coverts. Thin white fringes on primary tips. |
 |
 |
American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 1st cycle, February 09 2008, Dryden, NY (Mike). Brown aspect. Fresh feathers (grey) on hindneck, side of the neck and flank. Crown and ear-coverts replaced as well, throat worn whitish 1st gen feathers. Pale bill base. |
American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 1st cycle 1106-13848 December 07 2013, New Buffalo, MI (Amar Ayyash). Banded June 2013 at Door County WI (44ºN). All scaps replaced. Much of brown aspect replaced in neck, side of breast and flanck, now cold greyish. |
 |
 |
| American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 1st cycle, March 02 2013, Circle Beach, CT (Keith Mueller). Some dark pigmented birds have a poor contrasting paler window on the inner primaries. | American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) 1st cycle 1106-27465 December 07 2013, New Buffalo, MI (Amar Ayyash). Banded June 2013 at Door County WI (44ºN). Note paler panel on inner primaries, poor contrast between outer and inner webs on blackish outer primaries, mostly blackish tail and note bill size and shape. |
 |
 |
| American Herring Gull smithsonianus, juvenile, August 25 2010, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada (Dave Brown). Note pale window on inner primaries, dark base to greater coverts, densely barred rump and undertail and very limited vermiculation along edges of outermost rectrices. | American Herring Gull smithsonianus, juvenile, September 22 2012, Plum Island, Massachusetts, USA (Suzanne Sullivan). Note heavily barred rump and uppertail-coverts, barely contrasting with back; also, note almost entirely dark rectrices with contrastingly pale shaft and narrow 'barred' strip along outermost edge. |
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 14 2006, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Akimichi Ariga.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 07 2006, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Akimichi Ariga.
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle, January 31 2010, Choshi, Japan (Gullog). Atypical bird in a European context, with no notching on tertials (and tertials darkest part of bird together with visible primaries like in cachinnans) and very simple pattern on 2nd gen scaps.
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle, January 31 2010, Choshi, Japan (Gullog). 
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle, January 31 2010, Choshi, Japan (Gullog). 
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 14 2006, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Akimichi Ariga.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 21 2006, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Akimichi Ariga.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 29 2005, Hasaki Xingang, Japan. Picture: Akimichi Ariga.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 26 2006, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Akimichi Ariga.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 29 2005, Hasaki Xingang, Japan. Picture: Akimichi Ariga.
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle, January 31 2010, Choshi, Japan (Gullog). Pale grey-brown base colour of scaps suggest these feathers were replaced quite recently, and still not bleached. Scap moult: 100%.
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle, January 25 2011, Choshi, Japan (Terry Townshend). Dark secondary bar. Pale panel on inner primaries reaching outer secondaries S1-S3 and still innerweb of P6 largely pale.
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle, January 27 2011, Choshi, Japan (Terry Townshend). Very similar to European Herring Gull. 1st gen flight feathers.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 28 2012, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Seichoudoku.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 21 2012, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Seichoudoku.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 21 2012, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Seichoudoku.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 07 2012, Choshi, Japan. Picture: Seichoudoku.
Vega Gull (vegae), 1st cycle (2CY), January 2000, Choshi Chiba, Japan. Picture: Michiaki Ujihara..jpg)
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle (2CY), January 12 2006, Choshi, Chiba, Japan. Picture: Michiaki Ujihara. 
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle (2CY), January 12 2006, Choshi, Chiba, Japan. Picture: Michiaki Ujihara. 
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle (2CY), January 12 2006, Choshi, Chiba, Japan. Picture: Michiaki Ujihara. .jpg)
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle (2CY), January 12 2006, Choshi, Chiba, Japan. Picture: Michiaki Ujihara. .jpg)
Vega Gull (vegae) 1st cycle (2CY), January 12 2006, Choshi, Chiba, Japan. Picture: Michiaki Ujihara.