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Caspian Gull (cachinnans, ponticus)
IMAGES:
DESCRIPTION:
CASPIAN GULL (22"-27"; 54"-57") cachinnans, ponticus
| BILL SHAPE: long and slender; 4.5 x eye diameter; small gon. angle; gently curved culmen, looking pointed; 1W may be shorter | ||||
| HEAD SHAPE: long sloping forehead into bill; flattish crown; squared nape | ||||
| WING EXTENSION: long; 1 to 1.5 x bill length | ||||
| POSTURE/HABITS: appears long-billed, long-legged, and long-necked; often stands upright w/ wingtips drooped near ground | ||||
| FIRST CYCLE | SECOND CYCLE | THIRD CYCLE | ADULT | |
| BILL COLOR: | black; some w/ flesh base to lower mandible | variable, usually w/ greenish-yellow base and dark tip | as adult but w/ larger black subterm mark or band | dull to greenish-yellow; sometimes flesh at base; gon. spot dull to reddish- orange restricted to lower mand; most w/ black mark or subterm band except when breeding; orange or red gape often shown |
| LEG COLOR: | pink | fleshy or yellowish | as adult | yellow or greenish-yellow to dull flesh |
| IRIS/ORB RING: | dark | dark | usually as adult, otherwise dark | pale yellow to dull gold or dark; orb ring usually bright orange; may be red |
| HEAD: | often all white; may have thin line behind eye or fine streaks on crown or nape; thick streaks around collar | often all white | as adult but more likely to have some markings | many all white; may have fine lines on nape and/or collar or larger splotches around hindneck; most white by Jan |
| UNDERPARTS: | white w/ spotting from breast sides down flanks to barred undt covs. | white; possibly w/ dark specks at breast sides and upper flanks | white | white |
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PRIMARIES (folded): |
black | black; may show tiny A-spots | black; may show tiny A-spots | P10 extends well beyond P9, revealing mirror and long pale tongue |
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PRIMARIES (in flight): |
dark outer Ps w/ faint small pale window on inner Ps from above; paler gray from below | blackish outer Ps; may show mirror on P10; dark outerwebs, paler inner- webs on inner Ps; quite white w/ dark outer P tips from below | ... | less black on inner webs than michahellis, looking striped; large or terminal mirror on P10 w/ thin pale tongue running along black innerweb; long tongues less obvious on P8-9; med mirror on P9; black markings to P5, sometimes to P4; white tongue-tips to P10; pattern appears whiter from below; pale area pale gray |
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SECONDARIES (in flight): |
dark w/ pale fringe above; paler gray from below; underwing covs often quite white w/ 2 rows of dark spots | blackish w/ pale fringe; much paler from below; underwing covs almost all white | as adult | adult gray w/ white trailing edge, 1/2 to 1/3 bill length |
| TERTIALS: | solid dark, nearly black, w/ pale tip or edges | dark w/ irreg mottled pale tips | as adult | adult gray w/ moderate white crescent |
| GREATER COVERTS: | outer feather solid dark g-b w/ subterm spots; inner ones more spotted | irreg pattern w/ some adult gray | adult gray | adult gray |
| LESSER & MED COVERTS: | rather dark w/ some pale fringes and some pale internal bars | irreg pattern w/ some adult gray | adult gray | adult gray |
| SCAPULARS: | pale cream-buff w/ thin sub- term anchor; looking like a cool gray shawl around back | adult gray; may have dark spots in center of feathers | adult gray | adult gray w/ some or no white crescent visible |
| BACK: | similar to scapulars | same as scapulars | adult gray | adult gray is med-gray, usually paler than michahellis and always darker than argenteus |
| RUMP: | quite white w/ light irreg bars | white | white | white |
| TAIL: | white w/ thin black subterm band | black subterm band w/ jagged base; may appear broken on spread tail | whte w/ irreg black band or marks | white |