Yellow-legged
Gull - Larus michahellis
(last update: October 08 2013)
Coordinators:
Delfín González
Gabriel Martín
Antonio Gutierrez
Amir Ben Dov
Mars Muusse
Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 2CY, April 19 2002, Etaples, NW France (50.42N,1.34E).
A bird showing very advanced moult in the
wing-coverts.
This individual has all the tertials moulted to second generation
feathers. These fresh tertials have a neat white fringe, a thin, well
demarcated transversal bar and checkered centra. Almost all visible
wing-coverts have been replaced, although a few outer coverts, hidden by
the flank feathers, are still juvenile. Greater coverts #1-8 have been
replaced and the feathers further outwards are missing (exposing the
secondaries underneath), median coverts #1-12, except #9, lower lesser
coverts #1-10 and about 20 lesser coverts were moulted. The scapulars have
been replaced as well and in the lower upper scapulars about 10 feathers
show a brown-buffish base. These are third generation feathers, which are
very much second generation-like in their pattern.
