Labels: Antelope Island, gulls
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Labels: Antelope Island, gulls
4 Comments:
That gull sure does look like a Thayer's, maybe a bit darker overall than
normal (or is it just the photo).....and considering how often gulls hybridize,
creates an issue.
Jerry
The bill seems odd. Lots of pink at the base--I guess they can have this, but I usually don't see any like that in Utah. Really doesn't fit anything else but Thayer's though.
Here are pictures of Thayer's Gulls on my site for comparison.
As I mentioned on Birdtalk, I agree that this is a Thayer's Gull, probably a second-winter bird, to be specific.
There has been some discussion about this on Utah BIRDNET. After more pictures were taken I wrote this follow up, with my opinion that the bird is not a Thyer's Gull, but instead a hybrid:
I'm still unsure on this bird. I almost wonder if this might be a Glaucous-winged X Herring hybrid. It would be on the small billed side but the marbling on the head and chest suggest GWGU as a possible parent.
The head shape bothered me for Thayer's gull mainly because it had a "fierce" look like a Herring Gull. The bill is still an issue for any of these. It looks a tad large for Thayer's but way too small for GWGU and smallish for a Herring.
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