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, May 26 2007, Portalban, Switzerland. Picture: Stephane Aubry.
Visit Stephane's Pbase site.
Missing several wing-coverts and missing upper tertials, which indicates this bird started the complete moult (which takes all the summer months to bring it in 2nd winter / 2nd cycle plumage).
Now it will be difficult to be exact about the extent of the post-juvenile moult (old 2nd gen feathers in coverts and tertials), but as a rule, these old 2nd gen feathers are skipped (attained) in the very first phase of the complete moult, leaving birds with (A) very old juvenile coverts, (B) old 2nd gen coverts from last autumn and (C) very fresh 2nd gen feathers attained in the present complete moult.
