This presumed first-basic smithsonianus Herring Gull was photographed at Corpus
Christi Landfill on January 31, 2001 by Martin Reid; there appears
to be a moult boundary in the middle of the greater coverts, and
a number of 2nd-generation median and lesser coverts. This bird's
structure (long-winged, dainty head, long, thinnish bill with
shallow culmen slope) plus bill pattern (brightly pink on the
basal 2/3rds) is similar to a handful of birds we see on the Texas
coast, e.g. here, here,
here, and here
- where do these birds originate, and what exactly are they?:
