Gulls

These gulls were photographed at Busaiteen during this weeks sandstorm - the light was really bad so they probablly appear a little darker than they should but as always depth of colour in digital cameras is always open to question.

I am fairly certain the group are all the same Heuglini or Baltic Gull - although some of the younger birds might be debatable and I don't know enough to be 100% sure - structure and jiz are consistant enough I think to say - all the same

I found the following posted on Bird Forum

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1117102#post1117102

If you are confused by this information which is the most comprehensive I have found join the CLUB - I OFTEN GET TOLD OFF for using the wrong names etc. with regard to Gulls. If you follow the post below Lesser Black Backed gull L. fuscus now has sspp. fuscus, intermedius, graellsii, taimyrensis, heuglini and barabensis. The last 3 occur here as well as the first but when you see them in the field there is no way you would ever think the last three are a sub species of the first.

I still can't work out why Yellow Wagtails with all their wonderfull variations are still one species.

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(posted I_raty)

What situation do you want (what authority, what point in time, etc...)?

In the past, the "traditional" classification has been :
- Herring gull Larus argentatus, with sspp. argentatus, argenteus, smithsonianus and vegae;
- Yellow-legged gull Larus cachinnans, with sspp. cachinnans, michahellis, atlantis, armenicus, barabensis and mongolicus;
- LBB gull Larus fuscus, with sspp. fuscus, intermedius, graellsii, heuglini and taimyrensis.
(NB - "L. michahellis cachinnans" is a nomenclatural impossibility.)
The most frequent variation from this has been the recognition of Armenian gull Larus armenicus as an additional monotypic species (HBW, Howard & Moore, etc...).

This classification, however, has never been recognised by the BOU. Assuming the last (4th) TSC report is representative of the previous position of the BOU prior to the recent splits (? - the position of the BOU regarding several taxa unrecorded in Britain had in fact never been made clear before these splits were published...), the situation would have been :
- Herring gull L. argentatus, with sspp. argentatus, argenteus, smithsonianus, vegae, taimyrensis, heuglini, cachinnans, michahellis, atlantis, armenicus, barabensis and mongolicus;
- LBB gull L. fuscus with sspp. fuscus, intermedius and graellsii.

In their 3rd report, the BOURC-TSC separated yellow-legged and Armenian gull from this very broad herring gull, but with yellow-legged gull limited to the Mediterranean/Atlantic forms (i.e., cachinnans and the more eastern taxa were kept in the herring gull). Thus :
- Yellow-legged gull L. michahellis, with sspp. michahellis and atlantis;
- Armenian gull L. armenicus, monotypic;
- Herring gull L. argentatus, with sspp. argentatus, argenteus, smithsonianus, vegae, taimyrensis, heuglini, cachinnans, barabensis and mongolicus;
- LBB gull L. fuscus with sspp. fuscus, intermedius and graellsii.

In their 4th report, they further separated Caspian gull, and American herring gull, the latter including smithsonianus, vegae and mongolicus, and they transferred heuglini, taimyrensis and barabensis to LBB gull. Which then gives :
- Yellow-legged gull L. michahellis, with sspp. michahellis and atlantis;
- Armenian gull L. armenicus, monotypic;
- Herring gull L. argentatus, with sspp. argentatus and argenteus;
- American herring gull L. smithsonianus, with sspp. smithsonianus, vegae and mongolicus;
- Caspian gull L. cachinnans, monotypic;
- LBB gull L. fuscus with sspp. fuscus, intermedius, graellsii, taimyrensis, heuglini and barabensis.

"Baltic gull" should be Larus fuscus fuscus, indeed.
But beware that "Baltic herring gull" is a colloquial term to designate L. argentatus argentatus from the Baltic sea area (particularly from those populations where yellow legs occur quite regularly, and that have been called "L. argentatus omissus").

Laurent -
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Further to this I have been given the following information also on Bird Forum see
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100197&page=8

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howard, just a clarification on recent use of gull names, since you used some on your website:

larus fuscus generally is called lesser-black-backed gull but as a distinction from western races graellsii and intermedius, the nominate race fuscus (which winters at your place) often is called baltic gull. so the ones you see (small, black mantled and very long winged) are "baltic gulls".

larus (fuscus) heuglini usually is called siberian gull (or heuglin's gull)
larus (cachinnans/heuglini) barabensis = steppe gull
larus cachinnans = caspian gull (since yellow-legged gull is used only for larus michahellis.

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Larus Armenicus Armenian Gull

Larus Huegelini Siberian or Heuglin's Gull

Larus Barabensis Steppe Gull

Heuglini sometimes called Baltic Gull (I think) but I could be wrong it might be of course Amerimicus, Cachinnans, Barabensis or even Taimyrensis. It certainly is not Fuscus of which I have put a picture for comparison below, however it is closely related to the later - the only help you get - Both pictures taken today

Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans or is it barabensis)

Slender-billed Gull Larus genei