Jan Axel Cubilla photographed this small gull in Costa del Este on Friday, November 20. The bird was noticeably smaller than the Laughing Gulls around it, with a thinner bill and a more delicate shape, plus it was browner on the hind neck and back and whiter below. Based on these differences (and on the white skirt of the secondaries and the black primaries) we are calling this a juvenile Sabine's Gull. If we squint we can even see the scaly back.
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2 comments:
Although I can't offer an opinion on what this bird is, I don't think that it's a Sabine's Gull. The bill looks too long and slightly curved for a Sabine's. Sabine's have a pretty short and straight bill, I would even describe it as "dainty-looking".
I agree with Gavin; this just isn't Sabines on size & structure. Aberrant Laughing looks good to me too at the moment.
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