by Jim Stevenson,
The article is on some of our tough winter gulls, and we have had some great ones lately! Enjoy!
This is our most abundant gull year-round, the Laughing Gull. It’s an adult in winter plumage, lacking most of the black breeding color on the nape and head of their alternate plumage February through July. It is curious they attain those colors so early, as well as losing them in late summer and not fall. This individual was photographed because of the Red-bearded Cusk Eel (Lengua rosada) he was attempting to swallow, and finally did. This is a deep water flatfish, and many bottom feeders like flounder and rays are depressed (need Prozac?). I am reminded of the immortal Ogden Nash, who wrote, “I don’t mind eels, except at meals.” Now see who’s laughing.
Franklin’s Gulls hide amongst the Laughing Gulls pretty well, as they are usually on the backside of the flock. Standing lower, they really seem invisible. This bird was not healthy and was pretty tame. Note the large amount of black on the head and smaller size and thinner bill. This species breeds extensively in the Northern Great Plains and lower areas of the West, with most of their numbers migrating straight through Central Texas on their way to the Tropics.
Fall Franklin’s Gulls usually trickle through but with this western cool front several weeks ago, there were thousands down at San Luis Pass. They winter primarily on the Pacific Coast, all the way to Peru. We get many fewer in spring, generally only after western fronts.
Bonaparte’s Gulls don’t make their way to the Gulf of Mexico until Christmas or New Year’s (this one taken last year) and hang around into late March. They somewhat resemble small Laughing Gulls but the dark spot on the head gives them away. Bonies often flit over the water, picking up bits of food like small shrimp. They are named for their skeleton, as they have so many boney parts. 😉 Some people have confused the Gull-billed Tern with actual gulls, solely based on the thickness of the beak. Black-capped birds breed on the Upper Texas Coast April through the summer but most disappear in fall. This is actually a virtually worldwide species, and we just photographed them on the Esplanade in Cairns, Australia. This species eats a lot of invertebrates such as fiddler crabs, grasshoppers and dragonfly larvae. Yuk.
This is an immature Herring Gull devouring the carcass of a Cattle Egret that likely died migrating out over the Gulf. Gulls are extremely valuable as scavengers, like vultures, as they recycle dead material from the beaches and roadsides. The vast majority of large, brown gulls are first-year Herring Gulls, but a few rare ones creep through, often not noticed. Tuesday happened to be a bonanza for them, driving Bolivar Beach.
This is apparently a Vega Gull, the “Herring Gull” of Asia. Note the light rump and dark border on the tail tip. It is being sent in to the records committee. Truth is, many large gulls resemble our first-cycle Herring Gulls, and much alcoholism results from attempting to distinguish them. Here’s my plan: Make ‘em all one species.
The adult Lesser Black-backed Gull is a cinch, and has become quite common on our beaches fall through spring. We are not as sure about their breeding grounds. They are less black than the larger Greater B-B Gull of the East Coast, and their funky bill really sets them off. Note most large gulls with white heads in the breeding season get brown streaking on the head and neck, fall and winter. Also note the yellow legs, more typical of Ring-billed than Herring.
Quite a bit tougher is the first-year Lesser Black-backed Gull, but notice the small, rounded head and dark coming in on the mantle. This is an exceptionally brown individual and anyone passing it up for a Herring Gull could be forgiven. Just not bird guides.Their pink legs match the young Herring Gull’s color.
It has gotten to the place that LBBGs are downright common and here are three standing behind the larger Herring Gull. Note the second-year LBBG on right, with a darkish back and light head. I know this is a crappy picture but have you ever photographed THREE LBBGs at one time? Also notice the head on the LBBG is more rounded than on the Herring, although the difference is not stark.
Here is the Greater Black-backed Gull in the air, about the size of a B-52. Again, the large, dark bill is diagnostic, and next to Herrings, they are massive. Being an Atlantic bird, few ever reach the Gulf Coast, especially as far west as Texas. They are also totally confined to salt water, as their scientific name implies (Larus marinus).
Just slightly larger than Laughing but smaller than the preceding two are Ring-billed Gulls. Adults have yellow legs and a clear ring around the beak. Like Herring, these are winter residents, breeding up north in summer. If you see one that lacks the black band on the bill, you may have a Mew Gull, which I have seen several times in the Deep South. Alternatively, you can go with me to Alaska! 😉 Gulls are not easy.
A common bird on the East (Atlantic) Coast, but very rare in Texas, is the Greater Black-backed Gull. The adults are easy but these juveniles may be overlooked in flocks of Herring Gulls. They are massive birds, easily larger than Herring Gulls, and notice their head is the size of the Ruddy Turnstone walking by! This one is scavenging a Red fish. Note the large, black bill on this bird.
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