BirdFellow Gallery

1 Alternate adult (January), California.
2 Breeding plumaged adult (January), California.
3 Breeding plumaged adult.
4 Late-summer adult (August). The head of this bird is already turning gray.
5 Molting summer adult (July). This adult is going through its prebasic molt. Note the contrast between the fresh gray scapular and wing coverts and the worn brown flight and and covert feathers.
6 Molting summer adult (August). Note the contrast between the fresh gray scapulars and coverts and the worn, browner flight and covert feathers.
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8 Winter adult (November). This adult has completed its prebasic molt. Note that all flight and covert feathers are fresh.
9 Age uncertain (October), California. The amount of dark on the head suggests that this bird is a sub-adult. It has already completed its prebasic molt, which given the rest of the plumage suggests that it is early in its 3rd cycle.
10 Second-summer (August). Note the minimal contrast between the upperparts and underparts, mostly dark head, duller bill than adults.
11 Late-fall hatch-year (November), California. This is only North American gull that shows a uniformly dark sooty chocolate-brown plumage with no mottling. Distant flying birds may be mistaken for dark morph jaegers.
12 First-winter (January), California. This is only North American gull that shows a uniformly dark sooty chocolate-brown plumage with no mottling. Distant flying birds may be mistaken for dark morph jaegers.
13 Breeding adult (November), Calfornia. Interesting that this adult is this plumage on this date.
14 Summer adult (July). Gray mottling on head indicative of transition from alternate (breeding) to basic plumage.
15 Late-summer adult (August). This bird is transitioning from adult alternate to adult basic plumage, where the head goes from being clean white to pale mottled gray.
16 Presumed 2nd year (August). The amount of dark on the head is too extensive for an adult at this season, thus it is assumed to by a late 2nd-cycle/early 3rd-cycle bird.
17 Late-fall hatch-year (November), California.
18 Breeding adult (November), California. Note clean white head and brightness of red bill.
19 Late-summer adult (August).
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21 Late-summer adult (August).
22 Late-summer adult (August). Note heavy molt in flight feathers.
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24 Late-fall adult (November), California.
25 Presumed sub-adult (August). Amount dark feathering on the head seems excessive for an adult on this date.
26 Presumed sub-adult (August). Amount of dark on the head and mottling on the coverts would not be expected on an adult at this date.
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29 Age uncertain (September). Amount of dark on head seems to be more than shown by most basic-plumaged adults, but the plumage is otherwise suggestive of an adult.
30 Presumed 2nd-cycle (July).
31 Fall adult (September).

31 photos

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