This 3rd-Basic Lesser Black-backed Gull
(Larus fuscus graellsii?) is molting into 3rd-Alternate,
and was photographed at Corpus Christi Landfill on February 17,
1999 by Martin Reid. This is the smallest graellsii I have
ever seen; it was not much larger than nearby RBGUs, and was dwarfed
by HEGUs. Note also the white tail, and slender, droop-tipped
bill - had this bird sported a black tail band (possible in 3B/3A)
it could have strongly resembled a 3B Black-tailed Gull (L.
crassirostris):
