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| Med/Common Gull hybrid?? http://www.lbcarchive.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17284 |
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| Author: | Nige Lound [ Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Med/Common Gull hybrid?? |
Photo in Discussion Birds. Literature on Med/Common Gull hybrid appears to be a bit thin on the ground! The little I have gleaned always refer to such hybrids as showing Med Gull like bill and legs unlike the Common Gull traits on this individual. Comments welcome! Regards Nige |
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| Author: | Edmund Mackrill [ Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:50 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Med/Common Gull hybrid?? |
When I first found this bird yesterday morning I couldn't believe my eyes, just imagine a yellow billed, yellow legged small gull with a full black hood!!!- I don't remember the 2002 bird - but, after watching it wading around, catching Whiting and in flight I had the idea that it must be a Med/Common Gull Hybrid. Nige's photo does not show the full extent of the hood which is full Med Gull with extensive eye crescents. In flight primaries 10 and 9 have large white tips with extensive black on the outer web of p10 and long grey tongues along all inner webs. Primaries 8 and 7 have black tips. The mantle and wing colour is between Black-headed and Common but there is a broad white trailing edge to the wing as in Common. There are small black marks/tips on 3 tail feathers which would indicate a 2cy bird but the extent of white on P10 and P9 hints at an older bird. Legs and bill colour Common. It did not call. Incidentally, there were 50+ Sandwich terns, 30+ Commons and at least 7 Arctics diving for Whiting in the pool at the same time plus a couple of hundred mixed gulls - pretty chaotic. |
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| Author: | Phil Hyde [ Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Med/Common Gull hybrid?? |
Could it be a pure Med Gull though with xanthochromism though, due to a lack of red pigment and excess of yellow pigment ? Phil |
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| Author: | Edmund Mackrill [ Wed Aug 01, 2012 9:13 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Med/Common Gull hybrid?? |
That's an interesting thought Phil but the primary pattern, as described above, is closer to Common Gull. Also the grey shade of the plumage is darker than any Med would be. I would love to have heard it call. Also the legs and bill are not quite right for either Common or Med. |
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