This gull was photographed at a landfill in Houston, Texas on December 14, 2005; it was the size of a medium-to-smallish HERG:
- note the fresh, dark gray upper mantle feathers:
Note the extreme wear in the outer primaries and inner greater secondary coverts (the parts of those tracts most-exposed to sun/wear on a resting gull):
Note the extent to which the white of the head/chest extends onto the upper belly:
Note below the pale inner webs to the outer primaries (from above), plus the fresh dark gray lateral scapular at the leading edge of the far upperwing:
The rump, upper and undertail coverts, plus tail, are of the "New World" type shown by all the Neartic gulls (except RBGU) and Slaty-backed Gull:
The body markings are smooth/smudgy as in Nearctic gulls plus SBGU; the legs are pink with no dark or greenish tones:
In the two different flight shots above and below note the the extent of dark gray/blackish feathering in the mantle/scaps, plus the paleness of the outer secondary greater and median coverts, plus the degree of pale on the inner webs of the primaries:
