<strong>Identification</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> <strong>in</strong> a <strong>western</strong> <strong>European</strong> <strong>context</strong>24252627282930 3112
<strong>Identification</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> <strong>in</strong> a <strong>western</strong> <strong>European</strong> <strong>context</strong>323334 3524 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January1999 (Pat Lonergan). Rather similar to bird <strong>in</strong> plate 36 but with predom<strong>in</strong>antly first-w<strong>in</strong>ter scapulars. Note pale head, contrast<strong>in</strong>gwith uniformly dark colouration on lower h<strong>in</strong>dneck, mantle and underparts.25 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January1999 (Pat Lonergan). Rather grey <strong>in</strong>dividual. Note absence <strong>of</strong> dark base to greater coverts and overall discont<strong>in</strong>uous pattern <strong>of</strong>scapulars.26 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January2001 (Pat Lonergan). Note uniform, dark underparts and typically densely patterned vent and undertail-coverts.27 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Cobh, Cork, Ireland,8 January 2001 (Killian Mullarney). Note new, more slate-grey coloured feathers on flanks, contrast<strong>in</strong>g with older, faded, brownishjuvenile feathers on belly.28 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January2001 (Pat Lonergan). Note uniformly dark colouration on lower h<strong>in</strong>dneck cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g onto underparts and contrast<strong>in</strong>g with palerhead; also, note strongly bicoloured bill.29 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January2001 (Pat Lonergan). Note uniformly dark upper mantle and base to h<strong>in</strong>dneck, contribut<strong>in</strong>g to pale-headed appearance.30 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January2001 (Pat Lonergan). Very grey and pla<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividual.31 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January1998 (Pat Lonergan). On some first-w<strong>in</strong>ters, pale-blotched scapulars contrast strongly with rest <strong>of</strong> plumage; note also very worntertials and <strong>in</strong>ner greater coverts, almost entirely lack<strong>in</strong>g pale fr<strong>in</strong>ges.32 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, January1998 (Pat Lonergan). On this <strong>in</strong>dividual, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter scapular pattern is very regular, rem<strong>in</strong>iscent <strong>of</strong> typical <strong>European</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong>Largentatus, but note uniformly dark h<strong>in</strong>dneck, mantle and underparts, densely patterned vent and undertail-coverts.33 <strong>American</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Amerikaanse Zilvermeeuw Larus smithsonianus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, February1999 (Pat Lonergan). Note dist<strong>in</strong>ctive rump and uppertail pattern, dark greater-covert bar and pale <strong>in</strong>ner primary w<strong>in</strong>dow.34 <strong>European</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Zilvermeeuw Larus argentatus argenteus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Cobh, Cork, Ireland, 3 January 2002 (KillianMullarney). Occasionally, <strong>European</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong>s can have more saturated and consequently darker-look<strong>in</strong>g brownish-greyunderparts than usual. Note comparatively weak undertail-covert barr<strong>in</strong>g and h<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> white <strong>in</strong> tail.35 <strong>European</strong> <strong>Herr<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Gull</strong> / Zilvermeeuw Larus argentatus argenteus, first-w<strong>in</strong>ter, Dubl<strong>in</strong>, Ireland, 14 October 1998 (Killian Mullarney).Typical bird, exhibit<strong>in</strong>g evenly barred pattern <strong>of</strong> fully-moulted first-w<strong>in</strong>ter scapulars. Note narrow dark bars on undertail-coverts.13