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Thread: Help with gull ID

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Default Help with gull ID

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    I'm not a gull expert, but I was wondering if someone could help me ID this one. It was photographed in Northern Utah in February. Thanks in advance!
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    Hi Doug- The combination of pink feet, yellow bill with red spot (and bit of black in this case), yellow iris, light-grey mantle, black wing-tips with white windows, and range says to me Herring Gull. The bill is fairly dainty so this one could be a female. The dusky feathers around the head and neck are a feature of the gull's "Basic" plumage- the default plumage they are in when not breeding.

    The North American Herring Gull is considered a seperate species from the European one by some ornithological authorities. The American Ornithologists Union disagrees and still lumps them together.

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Thank you John!
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    Hi Doug

    I agree with John on the ID & he's covered most aspects of Am Herring Gull. There are 2 other features that separate from similar species & these are the yellow orbital ring & the primary pattern.

    Most European countries have split the Herring Gulls, despite AOU reluctance to fall into line. DNA suggests Am Herring Gull is more closely related to Lesser Black-backed Gull anyway.

    Cheers: Wayne

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