Kumlien's Iceland Gull Larus
glaucoides kumlieni
February 13th 2004 Choshi Chiba Japan
This classic adult Kumlien's Iceland Gull
was found on our usual seawall where some Thayer's Gulls were
regularly found among thousands of Vega Gulls. It was
terrifically typical in all respects, and we had nothing to
worry about. Its Thayer's-like basic structure formed by
short bill, short neck, and short legs was familiar to me,
but seemed to be a little more extreme.
Note the typical 5 gray markings on outer primaries, from P10
to P6.
The legs look surprisingly short, especially when its belly
feathers swell down. The primary projection beyond the tail
is not extremely long, but it is still longer than the bill
length and quite normal in kumlieni.