Pale, Worn, or Faded Herring Gulls

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The second group of photos were taken in very early April 1998 on Staten Island, New York. By that time of year, most first and second winter large gulls have become worn and faded. It is easy to see such a bird and think that it must be a Glaucous or other "white wing gull." On the other hand, one may indeed have a rare species; see for instance the photo on the "Odd Herring Gulls" page, which is quite probably a Thayer's.

I have included here photos of three different individuals. The first bird (first four photos) looks very strange to me. It's apparently a first winter/summer bird. The pale brown primaries and tail band just don't look right for a smithsonianus -- the primaries and tail band usually do not fade nearly so much. The size of the bird and its jizz are not right for Thayer's. It may be a Slaty-backed, but I don't think so; I'd like to get opinions of that from those experienced with that species. At the moment, I'm thinking that it could be L. a. argentatus, due to the head and bill shape, size, primary pattern, greater covert pattern, and tail band. Any opinions?

The second two birds (five shots and three shots) are probably just second winter/summer smithsonianus, but, again, opinions to the contrary are welcome. Compare the photos on the "Slaty-backed" page.

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since February 9, 1999