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Black-headed Gull - 2cy February
This section deals with second-calendar year Black-headed Gulls in the month of February.
From February on, second-calendar year Black-headed Gulls undergo a partial moult into "first summer" plumage (generally one month later than adults). This moult cycle is generally completed in May.
The plumage is characterized as follows:
- Mantle and scapular feathers are grey (as adult), while some brown, juvenile feathers can be retained.
- Head: dark blackish-brown hood of variable extent. Majority (58%) have white-flecked dark hood, other variations are white head with sparse dark fleckings (24%), winter head pattern (11%) and full adult hood (7%).
- Body as first-winter but hind neck and breast off-white or grey-washed in birds retaining winter head pattern.
- Bare parts: bill and legs: more orange, less flesh-coloured, prominent black tip to bill (exceptionally bill adult-looking: dark maroon-red)
- Wing and tail: moult has not taken place in the wing and tail feathers and therefore remain first-generation. Becoming very worn and brown areas fading. Occasionally central tail feathers renewed (white). Some lesser and medium coverts are moulted to second-generation, grey feathers (as adult).
- In flight, the dark carpal bar on the upper wing stands out, formed by the lesser- and medium coverts. The trailing edge is black, similar to the tail edge (the outer tail feathers of some individuals are completely white). The primaries have a white base, extending in a drop-shape to a black tip. The outer primaries usually have small white tips.
Most of the description follows:
P.J. Grant: "Gulls, a guide to identification".
K.M.Olsen: “Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America”.
| Black-headed Gull 2cy LNZ.
February 08 2006, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (52.21N, 04.55E).
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