Gull question

[rjbaked]

While checking the beach area in Barrie I found this guy, who seems too lightly colored to be a Herring Gull but with black wing-tips/primaries ruling out Glaucous Gull. Someone on another forum suggested a Glaucous/Herring hybrid but I don't think their breeding ranges overlap at all. Could it be leucistic or just a light morph Herring Gull.
Glaucous x Herring Hybrid? by Rick J. Baker, on Flickr
Glaucous x Herring Hybrid? by Rick J. Baker, on Flickr

[Rotarran]

Another possibility is to consider a Thayer's Gull.  The dark eyes are a strong indicator.  Usually Herring and Glaucous have yellow eyes.

[thouc]

I would say it's a Kumlien's Iceland Gull, since it looks small in size (doesn't look much bigger than the Ring-billed Gulls), which rules out any Glaucous Gull components and has too light-coloured wings to be a Thayer's Gull. How dark the wing tips are can vary a great deal in Kumlien's. It also has the neatly rounded head and kind of cute look of the Iceland/Thayer's Gull complex.

/Thomas

[Henrique Pacheco]

I'd say leucistic Herring Gull. Rotarran, the eye colour might be an effect of lighting. Size, shape, bill, and eye all look good for Herring Gull. Apical spots(white marks on black primary feathers) look too small for Kumliems. Also mantle (back) shade looks too light colored for Kumliens. Either way, an interesting gull indeed.  

Side note: Herring and Glaucous gulls breeding range does overlap. Gull hybridization is a very confusing thing as they may have more genes from one parent than another.  

[thouc]

You might be right.

Here is a similar bird with a discussion whether it is a leucistic (European) Herring Gull or Kumlien's Gull.

/Thomas

[Reuven_M]

I also believe this is a leucistic Herring. Mantle colour is too pale for Kumlien's or Glaucous hybrid.

[John]

It's dilute, but I don't know if I'd go as far as saying it's leucistic.