Bird Id Part 2.5

[paulnj]

Sorry, but all UK gulls I can't ID ... YET. coastal birds are my weak point.. don't tell though ;)

This appears to be a Common Gull ( Larus canus )

[alboy]

yup its a common one, there is hundreds of them here.
there is a sparrow hawk always having a go at them, the gulls gang up on it, im yet to get a good shot of that happening......
cheers.
alan...

[paulnj]

COMMON GULL is the name of it ;)

[alboy]

did some research and its a herring gull, we dont have many common gulls here..

[paulnj]

I don't want to sound like a know it all, but who says that it's a herring gull? While the UK has herring gulls of a different subspecies, I know the subspecies that resides in the US quite well . The outer flight feathers don't have enough black to my eyes, but I could also be WRONG since that's a different subspecies??

The UK has Larus argentatus argenteus , while the US has Larus argentatus smithsonianus

http://www.birdguides.com/html/vidli...arus_canus.htm

" The Common Gull is most likely to be mistaken for a Herring Gull but notice that it is much smaller with altogether more delicate features, including the fine bill which lacks a red spot. It also has greenish legs and a darker grey back than most Herring Gulls. In flight the black in the primaries makes a more extensive wedge with bolder neater white blobs near the tips. Immature Common Gulls in flight have a conspicuous black wedge on the leading edge of the primaries "

After much google research I still am not convinced of either ID ;) The white on the wing tips of the adult COMMON gull is missing and the BLACK feathers in the tips seems too little for herring gull. herring gulls have 4 different winter(or summer) plumages by age, so this very well could be a 3rd year herring with fewer black wing tip feathers than usual ;)

[alboy]

i must say you are very much correct, after looking it up more i found that the herring gull and common are very much the same looking but the common is much smaller which this bird is.


cheers..
alan

[paulnj]

I was not claiming to be correct, but if indeed it is small we have us a Common Gull ;)

I am not the best at IDing birds, but do know the fieldmarks to look for. IDing birds isn't that easy sometimes.. even for me

Thanks for making me think!!

PLEASE keep the images coming too!