Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis

This 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull was present on the VAM rubbish tip on 5 January 2002.

The reason why I picked this bird out of a crowd were the 2nd generation wingcoverts of this bird (with the same anchor-pattern as in the scapulars). This is a very good ID-feature for this species and Caspian Gull, because, in this amount, this is never shown by Herring Gull. Problem is, however, that not every YLG or CG shows this. Once seen, other fieldmarks fall into place: the all-dark, blunt-tipped bill, pale head and underparts with faint mask round the eye, the pale-grey scapulars with the bold double anchor, dark tertials with narrow pale tip (often worn off). The folded primaries and tailband are of a deeper black than in Herring Gull.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rudy Offereins


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