[Birdtalk] California Gull vs Ring Billed Gull

[Lofthouse]

Good stuff Cliff.  Thanks.

Would you care to comment on the lack of streaking on the nape of the gulls in my pictures?

Sibley shows that to be pretty obvious on the CAGU.  

Jim

PS  I have sent several posts on this subject and none of them have made it back to my inbox.  They must be going though as you have answered.  I wonder where the bottle neck is?
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Cliff and Lisa Weisse 
  To: Lofthouse 
  Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 8:57 PM
  Subject: Re: [Birdtalk] California Gull vs Ring Billed Gull


  Jim,

  The CAGU in the photo you link below has more obvious gonys and less blunt tipped bill than most CAGUs.  The bill typically looks, especially at a distance, like you cut the eraser end off a pencil and stuck it on the gulls head.  Obviously I'm not saying the bill is that square but that's the general impression, especially compared to other large gulls.  For an example of a more pointed bill look at this Mew Gull:
  http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/DesJardin/MewGull2.jpg

  And for a bulbous tipped bill (definitely not parallel edged-the line of the bottom of the bill is on a distinctly different plane than that of the top) see this Western Gull:
  http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Featured_photo/Images/Bigpic/wegu1.jpg

  I'm not talking about big differences but there are definite average differences that often give species a distinctive appearance.  On the surface the Western Gull looks very similar to the California Gulls in your photos, dark back, yellow bill, dark iris, black wings with white spots on the ends of the primaries.  Obviously it doesn't have yellow legs or black on the bill (but remember that CAGUs will often lose the black) but it would jump right out at you if you saw this bird at Walmart tomorrow.  Look at your gulls again, really look them over, then flip to this image.  It just looks different.  That's because of subtle (although a lot less subtle in this case) differences like the heavy bulbous-tipped bill, bulky body, and small beady eye.

  Again I hope all this is useful.  

  Good birding.

  Cliff


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://secureserver.securesites.net/pipermail/birdtalk/attachments/20080407/8bd9e395/attachment.htm