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Herring x Caspian Gull (hybrid) (Larus argentatus x cachinnans)    Gulls, Terns and Skimmers (Laridae)
Sølvmåge x Kaspisk Måge   
Herring x Caspian Gull (hybrid) 3534    (8 photos)
2021-06-13    Søstjernen (Amager Strand), Denmark

Adult. Female. Sexing it by its small size and aging it as 5cy, adult type, still with immature wing coverts. Very worn primaries and actively molting inner ones. Notice how the primary markings appear very different depending on the angle.

Spotted it by the darkish eye and the slender bill and head profile.

At first I wanted it to be a pure Caspian with the leg color, the dark eye, the hand-pattern and the flat-looking forehead, but several characters are against this: The hand does not show the expected tongues on the upper side, the iris looks pure without any dots or grains, the legs are short, and the bill has a marked gonys-angle.

I've compared it to material on the gull research website and think it is reasonable to call it a hybrid rather than a pure unusual Herring.



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