Another small (female?) Herring Gull-type gull at Elliot Landfill,
Corpus Christi, Texas on March 29, 2005. This time of year many
birds are faded enough to resemble Old World-type Herring Gulls
- and this may well be such a bird. However, it is unusual in
that it has recently replaced a central tail feather (R1) and
a longest central uppertail covert - and both of these new feathers
seem at odds with either 1st-generation or 2nd-generation versions
of such feathers in smithsonianus HERG; note also the fairly
extensive white barring in the outer tail feathres, and that the
basal part of the outer web on R6 on the left side appears to
be unmarked white:
