Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) | ||||
Ardalanish Bay, Mull, Scotland June 2005 Warning. There is some doubt about the identification of this bird but I think that it is a 1st summer Glaucous Gull. Not being an expert on gulls, I consulted Birdforum whose members seemed to enjoy the debate even though they were far from unanimous in their opinion. |
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You can see the details of their arguments at Birdforum.
My summary of the various opinions was: |
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In favour of Icelandic were the following points: • jizz - doesn't look "thuggish" enough for Glaucous • rounded crown and the slightly more centrally-placed eye In favour of Glaucous: In summary, as one poster said:"What I see is confirmation of structural characteristics for Glaucous, a bird that can have virtually identical plumage to Iceland, and can supposedly only be reliably distinguished on structure, bill and such. The most obvious confirmation is that the primaries genuinely are relatively short, which is a very strong indicator for Glaucous. The bill looks fairly definitive for Glaucous as well, with the wide pink base and the short, cleanly demarcated black tip. " |
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Glaucous Gull breed along the Arctic coasts of Europe, Asia and North America and winter in northern waters. | ||||
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