Hendrix

is ID right ? for first winter .







   9/3/07 MP

John Holmes

Hi Hendrix,

It looks big and solidly-built so I'd go for Heuglin's Gull ( which often has a black tail-bar in winter plumages).

Immature Black-tailed Gulls have a milky-coffee coloured appearance "body is washed brown rather than streaked..." (The birds of HK and South China, by Viney,Lam and Phillipps) .

Regards
John

Hendrix

thx John .

I mainly look that out half upper part of wing is darker.




how about this one ? upper part of wing is more like Heuglin's Gull .

John Holmes

Hi Hendrix,

Black-tailed is a medium-sized gull (at 19"), compared to 16" for Black-headed Gull and 24" for Heuglin's.

This is definitely a BIG gull.  I'd still go for Heuglin's...  Mongolian Gull should even bigger but paler.

If you post it as Heuglin's and we're wrong, I'm sure someone will be kind enough to correct us !

John

Hendrix

thanks , is this Black-tailed Gulls  ?

same bird A

same bird A


same bird B


same bird B
\

John Holmes

Hi Hendrix,

"Bird A" - Black-tailed Gull - is this the one that didn't fly well, it was outside the front of the boardwalk hide about three years ago ?

"Bird B" -  I don't know !  It looks quite slim, so my guess would be "Black-tailed Gull" but I find it hard to be sure without getting a feeling for the overall size.

Regards
John

Hendrix

BIRD A was taken @ Nov 2003 boardwalk hide .

bird B Dec 2005 NSW